Mount Takao

Yesterday I went to the mountains west of Tokyo to do some hiking.  It was a cold, clear day... perfect for catching views of Mount Fuji.  I went to Takao-san (Mount Takao) by train, less than 45 minutes from Setagaya on the Keio Line.  There are many different trails to ascend 600m high Takao-san, ranging from trail 1, a wide paved trail that passes sacred shrines and temples and carries many visitors, to trail 6, which is less travelled and follows a valley route and then a steep climb.  I actually chose a non-numbered trail called Inariyama Trail, which ascends a ridge of Takao-san.  It was quite busy at the start of the trail with a group of school children but eventually thinned out.  The top of Takao-san was packed with hundreds of people who had walked trail 1 or ascended by cable car or chair lift.  The highlight for me was hiking past Takao-san to Shiro-yama, another mountain peak about 45 minutes farther along the trail.  There were less people here, good views of Mount Fuji, and a mountain hut that served oden (hot pot), mushroom soup, drip coffee, and cold beer!

Happy New Year

Happy 2017 everybody! At year-end (nenmatsu) in Japan many people hang pine boughs outside their homes for good luck.  That's what we did outside our studio apartment as did many of our neighbours.  The shrines and temples were very busy yesterday (New Year's Day) and still today on the 2nd.  The streets are also busy with people walking but many businesses are closed.  Daily life doesn't fully return to normal until January 3rd or 4th.