Mount Takao

Takao is 599 metres high, sits at the end of a direct train line from Shinjuku, and receives something in the order of three million visitors a year, which makes it by most counts the most-climbed mountain in the world. Eight numbered trails run up it; Trail 1 is paved and busy, Trail 6 follows a stream and is the pleasant one, and the Inariyama ridge is the quietest. A cable car and a chairlift cover the lower half for anyone who wants them. Yakuo-in, a temple founded in 744, sits below the summit and is associated with tengu - the long-nosed mountain spirits - whose statues stand around the grounds; it is a working Shingon temple with fire rituals, not a decoration. On a clear winter day Fuji is visible from the summit. The mountain's forest is unusually rich for its size, with over a thousand plant species recorded.

What you actually see

• Eight trails - from a paved main route to a quiet ridge, all under two hours.
• Yakuo-in - a working temple from 744 with tengu statues in the grounds.
• Fuji from the top - visible on clear winter days from the summit deck.
• Rich forest - over a thousand plant species on a 599-metre hill.

When to go

April to May and November for colour; clear winter days for Fuji. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is genuinely crowded, and autumn weekends mean queues on the trails and for the cable car. The summit has vending machines and shops rather than wilderness. Fuji views need a clear cold day and are not common. Trail 1 is paved and steep in its lower half.

Nearby

Hachioji is east; the Tama hills run north.