If you feel like an Autumn day trip, we love Mt. Takao in this season. Don’t let people mentioning it as a hiking spot deter you. With kiddies, we take trail 1. It’s paved and it leads to the major tourist highlights – the temple, the cable car, some food spots and a monkey park (if that’s your thing … personally … monkeys chasing or potentially biting children freak me out so I skip it ….)
By taking the cable car you can turn a 90 minute walk into a 45 minute trip each way.
It’s a civilized walk. A gradual incline on a paved path. We take a foldable stroller and, when the kids were younger, a baby carrier.
The nicest and easier place to change a nappy is at the beautiful new Takaosanguchi train station.
To get to Takaosanguchi Station takes 50 minutes from Keio Shinjuku Station.
If you are looking for a vegan snack at the foot of Mt Takao, I recommend trying some roasted chestnuts at Momijiya Honten – open 10:30am-4pm.
You can also eat traditional Japanese shojin ryori (vegan meals eaten by monks) at the top of Mt Takao. See how to make a reservation here.
