Mt.Takao（Tokyo）~高尾山

Takao is a 599-meter-high mountain located in Hachioji City, Tokyo. It is located in the Meiji-no-mori Takao National Park and the Tokyo Metropolitan Takao Jinba Nature Park. The mountain was originally a sacred site for Shugendo, a Japanese mountain asceticism, and is the temple area of Takaosan Yakuo-in Yuki-ji Temple, the head temple of the Chisan sect of Shingon Buddhism.
・Meiji-no-mori Takao National Park
・Tokyo Metropolitan Takao Jinba Nature Park
・Head Temple Takao-san Yakuo-in 
*Camping, barbecues, plant collecting, and bird catching are prohibited in this national park.

“Takao-san-guchi Station” on the Keio Takao Line is the nearest station.
Route 1: From “Shinjuku”, take the Keio Line bound for “Keio-Hachioji” (limited express/semi-express) to “Kitano” and get off at “Takao-Yamaguchi”, a station stop on the Keio Takao Line. The limited express is about 50 minutes from Shinjuku. (Don’t worry, there is no express fare on the Keio Line Limited Express!) The train is very crowded, so it may be difficult to have a seat  if you take the train from Shibuya to Meidaimae. Also, if you are going to hike, we recommend that you leave as early as possible!
Route 2: If you are using JR, take the JR Chuo Line rapid train from Shinjuku to Takao, get off at the last stop, Takao, transfer to the Keio Takao Line local train, and get off at “Takao-san-guchi”. It takes about one hour from Shinjuku.
Note: “Takao Station” is not the nearest station!

It is important to note that you are not going to hike, but rather taking the cable car or lift to the summit.
Please check the information on Takao Tozan Railway before you go.
The first departure time for the cable car is at 8:00 a.m., the last departure time for the lift is at 9:00 a.m., and the last departure time varies depending on the season!（OneWay ¥490/ Round ¥950）
If you’re taking the Keio Line, there’s a special set ticket that gives you a 20% discount!

First of all, it depends on whether you are mainly interested in sightseeing or hiking, so I will introduce two patterns.
・Hiking course

I recommend the Trail 1, which has the most stores.
You may also want to take the cable car or lift one way or the other!

Kaede (store）：There’s a store right outside the Takao-san-guchi Stationstation. You can fill up on the famous “yaki-dango” (grilled dumplings), but I recommend buying drinks and snacks at a convenience store near your house! It is quite crowded.
Sumika : The restaurant and store in the middle of the mountain after getting off the cable car has been renovated!
・Tengu products : Tengu-yaki, Tengu-dog, and other Tengu-related foods can be enjoyed, and souvenirs are also sold.
・Tororo-soba: Traditionally eaten by worshippers before climbing mountains to keep their spirits up. On the first floor of Sumika, there is a soba noodle restaurant, which also offers a vegan menu.
・SUMIKA TABLE : A cafe on the second floor. Curry and coffee are the main menu.
Mt. Takao BBQ Mount : A beer garden that is usually open from June to October. A two-hour buffet, and the cable car service is extended during this period!　　　　　
Momijiya : Tengu Soba: special kakiage soba (fried noodle) that Paul McCartney of the Beatles is said to have eaten.
Takao Monkey Park：There are about 70 monkeys, and for some reason, I just want to go there.
Yakuo-in Temple: It’s a power spot and you can see the Tengu masks.

・The Inariyama courseand Trail 6are recommended hiking courses.
Mt. Takao is often part of a hiking trail, so you may want to combine it with other trail courses to form a hiking plan!
・Iroha Forest Trail
・Snake Falls Course

And the most attractive for hikers is the Tokaido Nature Trail.
Reference:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C5%8Dkai_Nature_Trail
https://www.tokainaturetrail.com/
https://doingmiles.com/2018-04-japan-tokai/

Mt. Takao is the eastern starting point of this nature trail. The Tokai Nature Trail connects the Meiji-no-mori Takao National Park and the Meiji-no-mori Minoh National Park in Osaka. It is a long-distance nature trail of 1,69.2 km. It takes 40 to 50 days to walk the entire course!!!!!

In fact, Hiker-kun has also challenged this course. He started from Mt. Takao and reached Shizuoka, so he would like to challenge the rest of the trail next time! However, with such a large scale hike, there is a lot of luggage, sleeping bags, tents, food supply points, the danger of bears, etc., which requires careful research! During the good weather season, we had to be careful about the rain, and I thought that the climate in Japan is very difficult to making plans for hiking!

Spending a day at Mt. Takao may be a good idea, but if you go out early in the morning and come back down early due to weather or other reasons, how about stopping by the Tachikawa area? Tachikawa is ranked as the best city to live in, and has recently been transformed into a very comfortable city with the construction of large shopping centers. For nature, how about visiting the Showa Kinen Park.