Out on the search for fall color

On my two days off this week, I had a mission: search out the fall color!

These photos were taken at parks in down-town Tokyo!


Well, I wasn't alone in my quest either! My friend Kelly told me about Takao-san, a mountain about an hour's train ride outside of Tokyo with Shinto shrines and several trails up and down the mountain!  Tuesday was a beautifully brisk and cool day-even with some sunshine.  So I packed up a day pack and after transferring several times on the train, and even snoozing on one, I arrived at the base of Takao-san.

The fall color hit me with a bang!

To the left of the shrine was a cable-car and chair lift.  To the right of the shrine was a paved path leading straight up the mountain! As I walked with plenty of other Japanese pairs and groups, we gained elevation quickly and warmed up quickly too!  The main trail continued up and then flattened out and there were restaurants and snack shops and shrines along the way too.

These snacks were quite popular!

After about 3.5 km, I joined the hoards of people picnicking at the top of Takao-san.  Also incredibly exciting, in addition to all the amazing fall color, was a clear view of snow-capped Fuji-san in the distance! It was breathtaking!

After competing with the hoards of people on paved path all the way up, I decided to take the narrower, and more forested route down.  The crowds completely disappeared and I enjoyed the woods and steep trail all the way back to the base of the mountain.