Japan Guide
Around Tokyo
Mount Takao
Mount Takao, also referred to as Takao-san, is a popular hiking area – so much so that you'd be well advised to avoid it at the weekend, when the main trails are clogged with day-trippers and picnic parties cover the slopes of the 600-metre mountain. This said, Takao-san, surrounded by a quasi-national park and also home to the attractive and venerable Yakuō-in temple, is a particularly pleasant place midweek for a quick escape from Tokyo, and a starting point for longer trails into the mountains.
There are seven marked trails on the mountain of various lengths and difficulty, with the longest three starting from Takao-san-guchi; all are detailed on a map (in Japanese) provided by the Keiō train company, or in English from the tourist information centres in Tokyo.
Yakuō-in was founded in the eighth century and is notable for the ornate polychromatic carvings which decorate its main hall, very reminiscent of those in Nikkō. In front of the hall and dotted around the temple grounds are striking statues of Tengu, the winged, Pinocchio-nosed deity of the mountains.
It doesn't take very long from the temple to reach Takao's summit, where you'll find a cluster of soba stalls and the visitor centre (Tues– Sun 10am–4pm; 
0426/64-6157), which has some nature displays, though all the information is in Japanese. On a fine day there are good views back towards the city and, in the opposite direction, if you're really lucky, of Mount Fuji.