Mt Takao to Mt Jimba

Location - Takao (高尾), Hachioji (八王子市) Start - Takaosanguchi Train Station (高尾山口駅) Finish - Jinbakogenshita Bus Stop (陣馬高原下 バス) Walking Time - 6 hours Difficulty : Easy to Moderate - Very few steep sections, low elevation < 900m, ~20km distance.

Getting There

From Tokyo take Keio line train from Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi station, change trains at Kitano.

The Hike

Turn right when exiting from Takaosanguchi train station, and follow the pedestrian road slightly up hill, for about 5 mins, until arriving at the Takaosan center :

To the left of the center when facing it, as shown in the pic above, is the start of the Inariyama trail, to the top of Mt. Takao, which is the first leg of the hike. This trail follows the forest path, and avoids the busy tourist routes and shrines.

The hike to the top takes about 1 hour, and is mostly under trees, on forest trail, but at approx. halfway up there is a scenic view point with a small shelter and some seats, a good place to stop and catch breath.

The top of Takao is 599m, and on a clear day there is a very nice view of Mt Fuji.

From the top just to the right of the area shown in the photo above there is the start of the path for the remainder of the hike, a sign shows the main peaks visited along the way to Mt. Jimba, and approx walking times.

The majority of the rest of the hike is on well maintained and well signed trails. Follow the trail signs for the places as shown in the sign above.

Some photos of the journey to Mt Jimba :

Another view of Fuji not long after leaving the top of Takao.

The shop at Momiji.

Typical trail after leaving Mt. Takao.

Stones mark the top of Itcho-daira, this place has a large open area with many picnic tables, a good place to stop and have a snack.

A sign at Itcho-daira pointing the way to Mt Kototoke Shiroyama, the next peak along the way.

Another scenic view point, with some nice decking, and more views of Mt. Fuji.

Marker for the top of Mt. Kobotoke-Shiroyama, at 670m.

There is a shop serving food and drink, and plenty places to sit and rest at the top of Kobotoke.

View of Lake Sagami from Mt. Kobotoke, with Mt. Fuji in the background.

Looking back at the rolling hills on the way to Mt. Kagenobu.

Shop at the top of Mt. Kagenobu, at 727m. Lots of places to sit and eat here.

Panoramic views from the top of Kagenobu looking back at the Kanto plain and center of Tokyo on the horizon.

5.7km to Mt. Jimba from Kagenobu.

Closer to Jimba, there are a couple of options to head to the bus stop earlier, without having to go to the top of Mt. Jimba. The first is 2.4km from Mt. Jimba, and 2.8km to the bus stop, as shown above. The next is 1.5km from Mt. Jimba, and a little harder to spot, as below :

Views from the top of Mt. Jimba

The strange horse/giraffe statue at the top

Getting Home

From Mt. Jimba it is 4km to 5km to get back to the bus stop, to get the bus back to Takao town train station, and train back to Tokyo. There are two options, 1) Mostly roadway, from the top of Mt. Jimba head down the grassy slope to pick up the start of trail that will lead to the roadway. 2) Less roadway and more trail, though very steep downhill, and difficult in places, take either of the options mentioned above before getting to Mt. Jimba, or take a path off to the right just before the last set of steps up to the very top of Jimba.

This part of the hike is not so well signed, but there are a few white signs directing to the bus stop along the way.

If taking the steep trail option follow trees with yellow or white markers, to help stay on course.

Once at the bottom of the valley, the trail follows a stream for about 10 min, before joining the roadway, from here it is 1.3km to the bus stop. The bus stop is to the left and slightly downhill when entering the center of the very small village.

The Bus Stop, the bus takes about 40mins to get back to Takao town, and only runs approx every hour.

Unfortunately there are not so good options for eating at the end of the hike, so be sure to take advantage of the places at Kobotoke and Kagenobu peaks.

Route Overview and Profile