❤ TAKAO ON FIRE ❤

Takao-san is the world’s busiest mountain. 2.6 million people climbed its slopes in 2011 alone, and last weekend it felt like every single one of them was there – shuffling along, taking pictures and eating carefully prepared bentos under the falling leaves. My last trip to Takao was in May, so it was nice to see how greens had turned to reds, with even the temples taking on different personalities in the golden Autumn sun. Sorry, I know my language sounds very flowery but it really did look spectacular. The only downside was that I had to share the place with literally thousands of others – oh and the fact that my bag got stunk out by a Vietnamese sandwich I bought in Shimokita to eat on the mountain. Won’t make that mistake again in a hurry.

When you think of Tokyo, you don’t think of nature. Which is why I’m happy that this place is only 50 minutes from my house. To be fair I probably wont be back here for a while – I want to explore other hikes further afield – but at least I know Takao is always there if I ever feel the need to escape.

The photos below haven’t been altered in any way. The colours are exactly like I saw them.