First of all, though, let's have an earthquake update.
There's been another three that I've felt since I last wrote a post. One was when I was in Tokyo, and had was only small but it had a fair bit of vertical movement which was new to me, and is a good deal more scary. The second was in my local Starbucks, and again was only small. However, two of the baristas ran over to make sure I was OK (which I was, but it was really sweet of them). The last one was yesterday whilst I was on the train to Tokyo. The emergency brakes go on, train stops, everything switches off, ground moves, super fast announcement in Japanese, everything turns on, train starts again, train staff apologise profusely for the inconvenience as if tectonics is somehow their fault.
Speaking of emergency brakes, the train I was on today also slammed them on as we were pulling away from Shinjuku. As a result, the salaryman next to me fell over his briefcase and headbutted me in the stomach.
So, here's a quick summary of the various train lines I've used since I arrived.
- JR Yamanote Line - Busy. You'll never get to sit down.
- Odakyu Line - Cheap, and goes frustratingly near my station but doesn't stop there.
- Daiyuzan Line - The comfiest seats in the world. Full of old people.
- JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line - Emergency brakes for everything.
- Keiyo Line - Might strong air conditioning. A sweater is recommended.
Anyway, moving on to today's adventure...
Takaosan 高尾山 - 699.15m
Not the easiest place to get to from Odawara as it takes a long time, but perfectly doable. My route was:
- Kamonomiya to Shinjuku (Shonan-Shinjuku Line) 1,480円
- Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi (Keio Line) 130円
From Takaosanguchi Station, it's a 5 minute walk up the road to the cable-car and chair-lift platforms. If you buy the round-trip ticket (I recommend it), you can use either method to start your journey, or you can walk. I chose the chair-lift, both up and down.
Now, the guidebook calls the routes around the mountain "a casual hike". I was describe it more as "a relaxing stroll up a large hill with a very nice paved path to follow and lots of signposts". I mean, I saw people walking past me in flipflops and high-heels.
Anyway, as you follow the route you come to Takoasan Yakuou-in Yuki-ji Temple, which is very nice. It is thought to have been built in 744 (Nara Period), and is dedicated to the medicine Buddha - Yakushi Nyorai. However, the temple has experienced a fair number of fires and typhoons, so it has been rebuilt and restored many times. The temple was pretty busy (lots of school groups out today), but once you're on the path it's not too bad.
Here are some photos from the route up to the temple and some of the temple buildings.
As with any of my days off, it was cloudy and pretty damp. As a result, the glorious views across the region and of Mt. Fuji were distinctly non-existent. See?
Right. To summarise...
- Definitely not hiking. I went up in a dress and trainers with no issues. The guys in flipflops also had no issues.
- Get the round-trip ticket. It saves you money.
- Tokens etc. at the temple are much more expensive than normal, but they do have tengu on them.
- Go on a sunny day. The view is somewhat lacking, otherwise.
- Try the dango. It's delicious.
All in all, not a bad day out. Good change of scene, and a good bit of gentle exercise.
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