After our Nabewari-Tonodake fiasco, I needed a pick-me up (easy) hike where I can feel good about myself again. Some friends are going to Mt. Takao- Mt. Jinba and I decided to tag along.
SEP. 14, 2024 , 9:00 – Our meet-up place was Takaosanguchi Station. We took the Inariyama course / 稲荷山コース / イナリヤマコース going to Mt. Takao summit / 高尾山頂 / タカオサンチョウ. It’s about 3.1km from the trailhead to the summit. We did not to take the cable car that day for the full experience and I felt my anxiety kicking in but I talked myself out of it, 3.1km should be easy right? You got this self.
9:30 – We reached the Inariyama Observatory / 稲荷山展望台 / イナリヤマテンボウダイ (400 masl) and took a little break. Nothing really to see here so we didn’t stay long. There is a long wooden stairs leading to Mt. Takao summit and I was out of breath going up.
10:30 – We reached Mt. Takao summit / 高尾山頂 / タカオサンチョウ (599 masl) and took another break. We decided to eat at the next summit (2.3km) instead of here because it’s still kind of early for lunch. The path going to the next summit is less paved and more dirt trail (which I like better than wooden steps.)
12:05 – We reached Mt. Kobotoke-Shiroyama / 小仏城山 / コボトケシロヤマ (670.3 masl) and finally had lunch. I think they had oden, udon and curry. You can also pay by Paypay which was so convenient. There is also a bathroom nearby.
We needed extra energy because it’s another 2.1 km to the next summit.
14:10 – We reached Mt. Kagenobu summit / 景信山頂 / カゲノブサンチョウ (727.1 masl) . The view here was pretty amazing, I really like it. There was only one table and bench at the bottom because they relocated a little higher. If you go further up, there is a store where they sell ice and cold water. Possibly alcoholic beverages too.
I also got my summit stamp here for my summit #14 in Japan. They have a small booth next to where they have their t-shirts on display. I decided to start collecting stamps instead of buying key chains like I used to. I miss collecting those but I want to try collecting stamps for my conquered summits and write a journal about it from now on instead.
While we were at Kagenobu summit, we were approached by a rep interviewing people about Demon Slayer for a TV show on (テレビ東京 – Channel 7) called 「何を隠そう。。。ソレが」/ ナニヲカクソウ。。。ソレガ. They asked us if we know the character of Muichiro Tokito because apparently, he was born in that mountain. That is why some anime fans go there to visit.
Honestly, I don’t watch a lot of anime after highschool, but this one I really enjoyed watching and I’m glad my best friend’s daughter, Taylor recommended them to me. I hope they didn’t cut out the part where I mentioned her because I really want to send it to her. haha!
14:50 – Our 5 minutes of fame was over and it was time to get moving because it’s gonna get dark soon and we still have 5.6 km to go to the last summit.
The last part of the trail kind of freaked me out a little because there were parts of it where the wild bushes are taller than me and they kept on brushing on my arms and face while we traverse the trail. Better to wear pants and long sleeve tops instead of shorts.
17:00 – Reached Mt. Jinba summit / 陣馬山頂 / ジンバサンチョウ (855 masl). The stores were mostly closed, there’s only one that was open but we still got some onigiri and drinks so we just ate what we have.
It was getting dark and we still have to go down so we didn’t have much time to watch the sunset. I wish we did because I really love watching sunsets but still have about 4.1km to go to Jinba Kogen Shita Bus stop.
The descend was concrete pavement which I really dislike from the bottom of my heart. It always gives me blisters and my finger toes always end up sore.
It was getting really dark and we needed to walk faster because the bus leaves at 18:32 and if we missed that, we would have to take the next one at 19:30. We saw a baby snake too on our way down. I was always scared of seeing one but at this point I was getting used to seeing snakes in the mountains. I just wanted to get to the bus so I can finally sit. We didn’t bring any headlamp because we didn’t think it would take us this long so we just used our phone lights to light our way.
18:29 – We managed to get to the bus stop in time. I am so glad we didn’t have to wait an hour for the next one. The bus trip to Takao Station (North exit) was about 40min (¥640). We were so hungry so we decided to eat at the nearby Saizeriya. It was the closest we can find in the area that was quick and still open.
Overall, I didn’t have a hard time with this hike. I think my bag weighs only 5kg. I think I consumed about 3L of water. But it really helped that I had ice in my tumbler because I noticed I don’t have to drink so much if it’s cold, a little sip was sufficient.
5 Summits in one day
Mt. Inariyama (400m)
Mt. Takao (599 m)
Kobotoke-Shiroyama (670.3 m)
Mt. Kagenobu (727.1 m)
Mt. Jinba (855m)
Time: 9:00-18:29
Total distance: 17.8km
Elevation gain/loss : 1413 / 1276
Steps: 40,000 (My iwatch died before we got to the bus stop though so I don’t know how accurate this is)
Some tips:
- I didn’t have to use a trekking pole this time because I think I lose my balance more when I have something on my hands but some of the people in my group were using it so I would bring one just in case you need it.
- Wear proper hiking shoes if you’re going the same route that we did. I highly recommend Salomon X ULTRA 360 MID GORE-TEX (Mine is L47448800). It is super light but has great cushion. I got mine from Koujitsu Sanso (Yokohama Branch). They have more selection of shoes and bag than the branch close to me. I just love this shop so much because they will really help you pick out the gears that suits you best.
- Sometimes I have a hard time eating solid food in the mountains so now I make sure I have the energy jelly drinks every time I go hiking. I bring at least 2 for a day hike. You can easily get one at the convenience stores too.
- I saw some people bringing frozen drinks in pet bottles. I think this is a great idea if you’re hiking in the summer because cold drinks are your lifeline!
I think even beginners who are fit can do this as long as they start really early around 7-8:00am. But I don’t recommend this route if it’s your first time hiking. Mitake-san is a good practice hike before doing this route.
Thank you for reading!
#MarieJournals