Located just one hour from Shinjuku Station are the wild forests of eastern Tokyo. Thick pine woods, hillsides blanketed with Rhododendron and Azalea abound. In Spring, the cherry blossom prevails, in Fall the flaming Japanese maple reins supreme.
Today, I was a city slicker going with the school groups and the strollers. From the Takaosanguchi Station where the Shinjuku train deposits, it is a brief stroll to Kiyotaki Station and the cable car.
Here are some of my delightful cable car companions...
The cable car provides Japan's steepest verticle ascent. It runs 1,000 meters between Kiyotaki and the ridge line, taking 5 minutes. I sat facing downhill and thought I was going to tumble into the lap of the gentleman seated across from me facing uphill.
From the end of the cable car, strollers continue to Yakuo-in Temple. This Buddhist temple was established in 744 by the orders of the Emperor Shomu. The founding abbot was Gyoki, the charismatic priest who was instrumental in the erection of the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple in Nara.
The balance of the stroll to the summit was less than 20 minutes. Not to diminish the experience, there were Tokyoites with their orange mohawk hair and leather jackets, stylish young maids in their heels and senior groups with their tan hiking hats and towels around their necks.
And lest you fear from the possiblity of starvation, there is little chance as the summit comes complete with a panoramic view of Mt. Fuji and Yokohama and ten assorted vending machines, plus the ubiquitous omiage shop selling ice cream cones, okashi (Japanese junk food), key chains and other momentos of a lovely excursion into the wild.
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