Mount Takao is located in Western Tokyo, in the city of Hachioji in the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It is a popular destination. The elevation of Mount Takao is 599 meters (approximately 1,965 feet). Despite its low altitude, it offers panoramic views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji and beautiful autumn foliage. Mount Takao earned a prestigious three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide Japan in 2007, and it boasts the highest number of climbers in the world, with approximately 2.6 to 3 million visitors annually.
Mount Takao offers six main, well-marked hiking trails ranging from a paved, beginner-friendly path to more rugged trails. All of them are accessible from Takaosanguchi Station. Key starting points include Kiyotaki Cable Car Station for Trail 1 (Omotesando) and Myoon Bridge for Trailr 6 and Inariyama trailhead near the Station.
Takaosanguchi Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Hachiōji, operated by the private railway operator Keio Corporation. It is the main point of railway access to Mount Takao.
Takaosanguchi Station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takaosanguchi_Station; Keio Takao Line: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%C5%8D_Takao_Line
Keio Line: https://www.keio.co.jp/global/?lang=en; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%C5%8D_Line
Kiyotaki Station, Takaotozan Railway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takaotozan_Railway; (In Japnese) https://www.takaotozan.co.jp/timeprice/
Le Mont Takao, Michelin Green Guide Japan in 2007: https://dgaddcosprod.blob.core.windows.net/b2c-experience-production/attachments/cjnmvmmi409350omylpiokpmw-greenguide-all.pdf
Views from the top of Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/22/2026
Mount Takao: https://www.takaotozan.co.jp/course/img/course_map_english.pdf; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Takao; Hachioji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachi%C5%8Dji: Tokyo Metropolis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo
We took Trail 6. According to the legend, when Kukai (Kobo Daishi) visited Mount Takao, he stayed in a cave at the Iwaya Daishi area to avoid the storm.
Statue of Iwaya Daishi and two caves
Iwaya Daishi Caves, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026
Iwaya Daishi Caves, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026
Kukai: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%ABkai
Buttress root-like roots of a muku tree (probably), Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026
Muku Tree (Aphananthe aspera): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphananthe_aspera; Buttress root: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttress_root
Mosses growing on trees, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026
Polypore mushroom, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026
Polypore mushroom (Trametes versicolor): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor
Upside-down fern, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026
Upside-down fern (Arachniodes standishii): https://mikawanoyasou.org/sida/ryoumensida.htm; https://jpfern.la.coocan.jp/names/721.html
Views of Hachioji and beyond, the Tokyo area including Ikebukuro and Shinjuku from Mount Inari, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026
ITINERARY
(START) Kiyotaki Cable Car Station – (Trail 6) – Myoon Bridge – Biwataki (waterfall) -Mount Takao, Takao Visitor Center – (Inariyama Trail) – Mount Inari – Inari Shrine – Kiyotaki Cable Car Station (GOAL)
Time: 3h 22min (Rest: 40 min), Distance: 7.2 km, Ascend: 501 m, Descend: 503 m