We went hiking with Chris up Mt. Takao. It was such a relief to get out of the grey and excruciatingly hot Tokyo area and enjoy the green and somewhat cooler Mt. Takao. However, I forgot my camera for the hike so I still need to get the pictures from Chris.
Japanese folklore includes the mythical tengu. According to wikipedia, tengu started as disruptive demons and softened into protective, if still dangerous spirits of the mountains and forests. The hike contains many different pictures and sculptures of tengu that we got to see along the way.
Tengu all have long noses.
We stopped at a Buddhist temple and got to see a service complete with monks, drums, incense, and blessings. It was a very cool experience! They don't let you take pictures though... But you can always come to visit and see it!
Next we headed to the top of the mountain where there was a breathtaking view of Tokyo. Mt. Takao is less than an hour from Tokyo, so it's a nice place for many people to head to if they need a quick get away.
As we were heading down the mountain we saw a group of foreigners, heading up the mountain. All of a sudden Chris asked if they were the band Elliot Minor, and they were! Chris went to their concert earlier in the week and we just happened to run into them on the mountain. They were very nice, and even though Brad and I haven't really listened to them, it was still a fun experience.
Mt. Takao also has a trolley that takes visitors halfway up the mountain. At the top of the trolley is an all you can eat buffet complete with all you can drink beer and shochu. Yummy! So of course we ate here before heading down the mountain in the trolley and calling it a day.
Brad at the buffet
It was so fun to go out and do something a little more active than just walking up and down concrete streets. I can't wait to do more hiking in Nikko in a week! (I will add more pictures of the hiking trip when I get them. Stay tuned!)
A couple days later we headed to the beach in Kamakura. Japan is not known for their pretty beaches, but it was still fun! And I couldn't live here for a year and say that I had never been to the ocean either!
It was crowded but at least we were able to enjoy the beach! The forecast said that we had a chance of getting hit by the typhoon that flooded parts of Korea last week. I'm glad it missed us!
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