Another fun day trip about a half an hour from base is Mt. Takao. The top of Takao can be reached by hiking, chair lift, or cable car. Because we went with friends and between all of us we had 8 kids under 6, we decided that the cable car was our best option! And, I'm glad we took the cable car--that mountain is STEEP! These pictures don't quite capture the sheer angle of the mountain, but it was crazy watching the mountain straight up in front of us as we rode up!
The view, even just halfway up the mountain, is gorgeous!
Once you get off the cable car about halfway up the mountain, there's another 45 minutes or so of hiking to reach the top of the mountain. As you walk along the path, you'll pass the Monkey Park (which, unfortunately we did not have time to visit--so next time, for sure!) and the Yakouin Temple. This temple was beautifully painted with bright colors and adorned with giant masks and intricate wood carvings.
There are also a bunch of stone carvings, statues, and wooden planks with names on them lining the paths and decorating the mountainside. It really makes for a beautiful and interesting hike!
After passing through the buildings of the Yakouin Temple, the cement and dirt paths turn into wooden planks that lead to the top of the mountain.
And, not much further is the top with incredible views of Mt. Fuji on one side and of Tokyo on the other. It's really an unbelievable viewpoint.
We arrived right as the sun was setting, so it's hard to see Mt. Fuji in these pictures, but it's there just to the left of the setting sun. Although it was hard to get the lighting right, the scenery and views were stunning in real life!
GPS Coordinates for the Takaosanguchi Station where we parked: 35.632707, 139.269795
GPS Coordinates for the Kiyotaki Station where you catch the cable car: 35.631201, 139.266695
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