CORRECT TITLE: Wanna Climb Tokyo?
Well after last months wash out with climbing Mt Fuji (weather closed the trails), I had a second invite to climb Mt. Takao in Tokyo. Yes... Climb a mountain in Tokyo... I'm not making this shit up.
Head down south to Hachioji and take a bus out the entrance to the mountain. From there it is said only to be a 90 minute walk to the top. Well if it's your first time and you're a little out of shape, like me, AND if you skip breakfast (also like me) then it's more like three and a half hours of grueling trudging up 3.3 km of mountain terrain with grades as steep as 48% in some locations.
Every three hundred meters will be a little check point to show how far along you are out of the total. If you take the scenic route up called Inariyama Course, be prepared for spiders jumping on your hat, old men jogging down, and traffic jams of families dragging two, three and four year old children up on their first mountain climb, but also get ready for incredible views of Tokyo and the surrounding areas. I brought only two short lenses with me, so zooming in was out of the question, but it is easy to see Shinjuku and even Sunshine Tower in Ikebukuro from even 1/5th of the way up.
When getting to the top, you will be greeted by not only a fully stocked ice cream bar but also two small restaurants, a summit lookout letting you see Mt Fuji when the sun goes gown and a few other facilities. If you feel it's too difficult to get down, then you can always take either the two person ski-lift style rope-way or a small enclosed (but not air conditioned) train. I'd suggest the rope-way as the wind feels incredible after a hard climb.
Will post photos later when I get home.
Cheers from Hachioji.
Well after last months wash out with climbing Mt Fuji (weather closed the trails), I had a second invite to climb Mt. Takao in Tokyo. Yes... Climb a mountain in Tokyo... I'm not making this shit up.
Head down south to Hachioji and take a bus out the entrance to the mountain. From there it is said only to be a 90 minute walk to the top. Well if it's your first time and you're a little out of shape, like me, AND if you skip breakfast (also like me) then it's more like three and a half hours of grueling trudging up 3.3 km of mountain terrain with grades as steep as 48% in some locations.
Every three hundred meters will be a little check point to show how far along you are out of the total. If you take the scenic route up called Inariyama Course, be prepared for spiders jumping on your hat, old men jogging down, and traffic jams of families dragging two, three and four year old children up on their first mountain climb, but also get ready for incredible views of Tokyo and the surrounding areas. I brought only two short lenses with me, so zooming in was out of the question, but it is easy to see Shinjuku and even Sunshine Tower in Ikebukuro from even 1/5th of the way up.
When getting to the top, you will be greeted by not only a fully stocked ice cream bar but also two small restaurants, a summit lookout letting you see Mt Fuji when the sun goes gown and a few other facilities. If you feel it's too difficult to get down, then you can always take either the two person ski-lift style rope-way or a small enclosed (but not air conditioned) train. I'd suggest the rope-way as the wind feels incredible after a hard climb.
Will post photos later when I get home.
Cheers from Hachioji.
andalaugh: