Mt Takao and Nokogiriyama

At biwa falls (mt Takao)

Before spring could announce its arrival my Boyfriend and I who were really anxious to get out of the house and do something different other than sitting around depressed and huddled up in a corner watching winter movies.(not that I have anything against `30 days of night’)

We decided (well I decided) that this spring I will be doing a lot of hiking, he went along with the idea (probably to let peace reign in the house). Anyway first stop we went to Takao san, which is the closest thing to a mountain within a 40 minute radius of Tokyo city. We arrived at the bottom of the mountain and we decided against the Lift and Cable car.

Half way up I regretted the idea, silently scolding myself for being ridiculous, I don’t hike. In the Solomon Islands, especially where I come from we are coastal people, I should have tried to wind surf instead of hiking.

To my horror, my Boyfriend was walking along like he is heading to the game center or the nearest vending machine (Note to oneself: He is Swiss….). 20 minutes later I couldn’t pretend any longer, I asked for a break and again five minutes after the first one. He kept asking me if I'm fine and if there’s anything he could do….By this time I was well beyond pissed and truly embarrassed. This was my Idea after all….

We reached the summit; I headed straight for the little restaurant and ask for a beer. In my state of near-collapse, I really wasn’t aware of much but the View from the top was magnificent, Sakura (cherry blossoms) was in full bloom and people were having their little family picnics under the cherry blossoms (another Japanese (contemporary?) culture)

After a good rest, we then went around looking at the shrine and temples. Near the summit there is a monkey park, very tiny but really entertaining (The monkeys I mean…..)

There’s a lot to see at Mt Takao. The view itself is spectacular, its also a popular dating spot, you'll notice girls in heels and boots up in the mountain, which is possible because of the cable car and the lift.

Even at the train station itself (Takao san Guchi) there are souvenir shops and the occasional music festival hosted and played by a bunch of grandmothers or as my friend like to put it “veteran musicians”.

Still located within metropolitan Tokyo,standing 599 metres and the closest recreation and hiking spot to Tokyo city with an annual 2.5 million visitors. The Densely wooded low mountains and temples offers a fantabulous view of Hachioji city, Tokyo, and as far as Yokohama on a clear day.

The main attraction is the temple that sits halfway between the cable car exit and the summit. If you are planning to hike, there are at least 8 different hiking trails leading up to the summit. Most weekenders prefer to take either the Lift or the cable car which would cost you around 800yen return. The trails are not that hard, most of it is paved and steps were placed but its always wise to bring good shoes, sneakers /converse will work just fine.

view from Mt takao summit

The fastest and cheapest way is by Keio line, 50 minutes from Shinjuku and 370yen one way, an alternative is the chuo rapid line. Don’t confuse (takao station) 高尾駅 for (takaosan guchi station) 高尾山口. The latter is the station at the foot of Mt Takao, which you should get off. .

On our way back, I was pretty much exhausted and decided that hiking is really not for me….yet. The next weekend my partner was all hyped up and ready to go hiking again, I tried all the excuses I could master but to no avail.

So off we went this time to Nokogiriyama (鋸山). We woke up around 4am in the morning to be able to pack a few snacks and catch the 5am train hoping to arrive at hamakanaya station by 8am.

Getting up at 4am on a Saturday was tough, I started to get grumpy (my last shot at staying in) but my boyfriend was very understanding and patient  which infuriates me even more. We manage to make it out of the house on time and catch the first train. Nokogiriyama is 3 hours away by regular train, in the chiba prefecture. It is a low mountain on the Boso peninsula, roughly having the characteristics of a saw toothed profile of a Japanese saw (鋸), thus the name, Nokogiri – yama (saw toothed mountain).

there are more than one way to get to Nokogiriyama, by ferry from kurihama (yokohama) , buses or the regular trains bound for Chiba prefecture.

We arrived at Hamakanaya station (浜金谷駅) around 8am, had breakfast in this tiny seaside town and just walk around for the next hour. Watching the fishermen coming in with their days catch and separating them into huge freezers ready to be sent to supermarkets all over Chiba and Tokyo.

Around 9am we decided to hike up to the top. The keisei railway group operates a cable car that transports visitors to the summit. However we decided to hike it. We asked for a map from the information center, the cashier looked a bit surprised and worried and tried convincing us to take the cable car.

We were having doubts because of her expression thinking there must be something wrong with the trail. But still we were determined and went anyway.

To our surprise there were steps/stairs, very elegant, built by the monks who use to occupy the temples. It is truly a work of art, the stairs partly covered with green moss snaking its way up the mountain. It reminded me of the great wall of china, well a smaller version. The stairs were hardly maintained but was still in really good state. You can feel the magic in the forest, the sweat and love of the monks as they lay one brick after another , and follow their footsteps as they make their way up and down these lovely stairs. Was a truly a  magical feeling. According to the map it should take us 2 hours to get to the summit, we manage it in less than an hour, convinced that some other spiritual forces helped us (especially me) .

View from the observation deck (Hota town)

From the observation platform, it is unquestionably the best and most beautiful sightseeing spot. Surprisingly its hardly mentioned in the guide books.

At the top there is the entrance to the shrine-park-like area which costs around 600yen/person. We then make our way around, the area, the highlights were definitely:

• The daibutsu of nihon temple (日本寺大仏)

The largest pre-modern Japans extant Big Buddha statue. It is twice the size of the one in Nara and Kamakura, standing at a height of 31.05 metres. Along with the other 1,500 smaller statues in the area were carved by master artisan Jingoro Eirei Ono and his 27 apprentices in the 1780s and 1790s. It took them 21 years to carve the 1500 stone budha statues. Making it the biggest Rakan spiritual sanctuary in the world.

• Hyaku shaku kannon (百尺漢音)

Another budha (daibutsu) is a standing kannon carved into a sheer cliff face. Carving started way before 1963 and took them 6 years to complete this magnificent statue. It is built in memory of the fallen peace soldiers of WW2. Memorials are often held here to remember the dead and also those fallen victim to traffic accidents. A lot of people come here to worship as it is enshrined as the protector of traffic safety. It is carved right under the Jigokunozoki and standing at a height of 30.01 metres.

• Jigokunozoki (地獄のぞき)

Roughly translated as peering into hell. This is the most popular vantage point . A small rock platform sticking out of the cliff. It serves as a natural observation deck. A rail was installed so one can get really close to the edge. The view is spectacular, just miles of densely wooded hills and valleys.

We took the route leading down towards Hota , a small town along the seaboard.The beaches were pretty clean but since its still early spring we couldn’t go for a dip. There were office workers along the beach, taking a break I assumed.

Personally, I think nokogiriyama is one of the best sightseeing spots that Chiba has to offer, sadly its hardly mentioned in the guide books. Most probably, they want to manage the number of visitors seeing that it’s one of japans most sacred worship sites.

Note*

• A lot of steps, no catwalk shoes ( keep your Jimmy choos at home)

• Use the ashtrays provided (or bring your own portable ones)

• Respect and manners is required at all times (if you find statues funny or like to imitate their poses for your pics….please do so in roppongi…a lot of statues there)