Mount Takao or Takao-san is one of the most popular mountains in Japan – if not the world. Located on the outskirts of the city, Takao is around an hour away from downtown Tokyo. At 599 metres, the mountain is fairly small and can be climbed in under two hours at a slow pace.
Takao-san has been a sacred mountain and a centre for mountain worship for over a thousand years. Close to the summit is Yakuoin Temple – a Buddhist temple founded in the 8th century. This temple, one of the most sacred sites of Shingon Buddhism, is connected with Shugendo (Japanese mountain asceticism). Ascetics come to Takao to practice their ritual training which involves standing under ice cold mountain waterfalls and reciting buddhist mantras. The aim of this ritual is to purify the mind.
* Mt Takao, Tokyo. 04/06/14. iPhone 5c
