Mt. Mitake is a No.1 sacred mountain in the Kanto region located in Ome city - about 90 mins away from central Tokyo by train.
This mountain is a part of Chichibu Tama National Park, so trails have been created to be easy to walk, so many people come enjoy hiking there casually.
The peak of the mountain is actually a shrine called Musashi-Mitake Jinjya. Interestingly you can see people bringing their cute pets especially dogs as this place enshrines a white wolf known as Oinu-sama(Sacred dog). They come pray for their pets.
In order to get the shrine, you can use the cable car from the roof and it’s only 6 mins ride and about 30 mins away from the upper cable car station by walk. (Of course you can ride the cable car with your pets!)
The cable car is the steepest cable car in the Kanto region. The slope has an average grade of 22 degrees.
Another popular and beautiful destination is the “rock garden”.
It is a narrow, forested valley with lots of moss covered stones and there are some water falls near by.
Especially Ayahiro Fall is breathtaking. You can see wild birds, various kinds of plants and sometimes wild animals while passing by rocks, steep sloops and hikers on the way. The rock garden is just 40 mins walk from the shrine.
The free hiking maps are available at the Mitake Visitor Center, located halfway between the upper cable car station and the shrine, so you can take it for your hike.
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