Takao-san

On Sunday a friend and I went to Takao-san (Mount Takao, in western Tokyo, which at 599 metres barely qualifies as mountain) to join an event called International Exchange in Nature. This was a tour led by volunteer Japanese guides who talked about Takao-san’s history and nature in English. Arranged by the Takao Visitor Center and English Adventure, the tour was free except for a 200 Yen insurance fee.

The morning had been rainy, and although the rain stopped by the time the tour started, many participants didn’t show up. So there were almost as many guides as there were tour members. I felt bad for the guides, who had obviously practiced a great deal and were eager to share their knowledge. The guides were local people of all ages, including a couple of mountain rangers. Their English abilities varied but all tried really hard and we were able to learn a lot. I’ve actually climbed Takao-san 2 or 3 times before, but didn’t know much about the mountain, and it turns out it’s a really interesting place.

This is the top of a beech tree, which is rare in this part of Japan, preferring a colder climate. Apparently it is leftover from the Little Ice Age, along with a handful of other beeches on the mountain. Another beech we passed was surrounded by dozens of tiny beech saplings, something the guides said they’d never seen before. Maybe beech trees aren’t going to be so rare around here anymore.

The paths were muddy and everything was still wet, meaning all sorts of creepy crawlies were out and about. We came upon this yellow leech feasting on a worm (I kindly posted the small version of this picture for the squeamish readers). That white thing in the middle is the unlucky worm, and the leech thing is swallowing it whole. The guides explained that while some leaches have mouths designed for sucking, others don’t and have to swallow their prey whole.

The mountain was shrouded in mist, which really enhanced the beauty of the forests. It also completely obscured the view, and instead of seeing Mount Fuji on one side and central Tokyo on the other, all we saw was an endless white fog.

Takao-san is a sacred mountain, dotted with small temples, shrines, and statues of various deities. The guardian of the mountain is Tengu, a red-faced ogre with a long pointy nose, whose image can be found all over Takao. Unfortunately I couldn’t take any Tengu pictures, but if you’re curious as to what Tengu looks like, click here.

The main temple on the mountain is Yakuoin, shown here. It is reached from the main path by a choice of two routes: a long sloping mountain path, and a steep set of stairs. These days people are free to choose whichever they like, but traditionally the stairs were for men only, and the path for women. One reason is that the fair sex, being weak and delicate, would have trouble with the stairs. Another is that the stairs are considered purifying. There are 108 steps, each of which represent one of the 108 worldly desires (if you’ve ever spent New Years in Japan you’ll know that temples welcome the new year by ringing the temple bells 108 times). By climbing all 108 steps, men can erase those desires and prepare themselves to visit the sacred temple. Women, presumably, are already pure.

Not all women though, so I chose the stairs. When I got to the top I felt more exhausted than pure and I was still full of wordly desires- namely for a nice comfy chair and a cold drink.

Near Yakunoin is a smaller temple surrounded by dozens of little statues of Buddha- 88, to be exact. This happens to be the same number of temples on the Shikoku Pilgrimage, which takes about 6 weeks to complete on foot. If that seems like too long a journey to make, you can make the rounds on Takao instead, stopping at each little Buddha to offer a coin and pray, as this man is doing. I didn’t bother- I’ve already done a Shikoku Pilgrimage substitution at Katsuo-ji in Osaka, and I think once is enough. It makes me wonder though- if so many temples offer easy versions of the Shikoku Pilgrimage, why do people still bother with the real one?

After the tour we walked down the mountain, taking trail #6. It was steep and rocky, with exposed tree roots, badly eroded steps, and plenty of mud from this morning’s rain, making it a bit of a challenge to stay upright.

Having finished our descent, we said good-bye to the tour group at the foot of the mountain and and had a bite to eat. Takao is famous for yamaimo (mountain yam), especially in the form of tororo-soba (buckwheat noodles topped with grated yamaimo). There are several restaurants serving this at the foot of the mountain, and we chose the place above, Takahashi-ya. Housed in a large traditional building, it had a nice, old-fashioned atmosphere.

This is what we both ordered- hot tororo soba. That’s the yamaimo on the left, topped with a raw quail’s egg. You pour the yamaimo, along with thinly sliced negi (green onions) on top of the noodles and slurp it up. The yamaimo cools the hot noodles and adds a wonderful slipperiness.

It was good, if a bit pricey (this is a tourist area, after all). As impressive as the food and atmosphere were the chopsticks- the tables were topped with the usual chopstick holders, but instead of waribashi (disposable wooden chopsticks) they were filled with regular reusable chopsticks. Doesn’t seem like a big deal, but in Japan it’s quite rare. The waitress says they’ve been using regular chopsticks since she can remember, so this isn’t a recent reaction to the price hike on imported waribashi from China. She wasn’t sure, but she thinks Takahashi-ya is the only restaurant in the area doing this, so I know where I’ll be eating on my next visit.

And even if you don’t care about the chopsticks, I recommend the place. Takahashi-ya (also called Takahashi-ke) is easy to find, being a large building on the corner near the cable car station. Look for the red umbrella, as in this picture.

I also recommend the tour. I don’t know when the next one is planned, but apparently it’s a semi-regular thing, so keep your eyes on the Takao Visitor Center’s webpage for details.

Information:

To get to Takao-san, take the Keio Line Limited Express from Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi (direct trains are infrequent, so you’ll likely have to transfer at Takao or Kitano). The trip takes 49 to 55 minutes and costs 370 Yen. Plan your route in English at Hyperdia.

The cable car costs 470 Yen one way, or 900 Yen round trip, leaving every 15 minutes. There is also a lift for the same price.

Takao Visitor Center
Takaomachi 2176, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo

Yakuoin Temple
0426-61-1115
Takaomachi 2177, Hachioji-shi, Tokyo

Takahashi-ya
0426-61-0010
Takaomachi 2209 Hachioji-shi, Tokyo
Tororo-soba 940 Yen