Running the Takao-san

I’m currently in Tokyo working European hours which means I’m free until the afternoon. I’m staying at my parents’ place who live a bit outside of the center which is exhausting if I want to meet up with a friend working in the city. But it also means I live not so far from the mountains in the west side of Tokyo. I decided to make the best out of that and go on a quick trail-jog in Takao.

Mt Takao, only a 30 min train ride from home, has been a not-so-small part of my life because of how close it is from where I grew up. I’ve been here with my school, with friends and with my family. But it was my first time here alone.

It’s a Thursday but it was crowded because of the Cherry blossom season and the good weather. It’s a little too early for a full bloom but I could see some trees turning pink as I ran and walked up the well paved path to the very top.

I picked the Inariyama route which seemed like the fastest and least crowded way up to the top. I’m very new to trail running and my running at the moment is more like walking. It took me around 40 minutes to the top.

There was a little shrine towards the beginning which is what the trail was named after. There are lots of shrines like these all over the country in the mountains which are the main reasons some people visit these places.

The way down was a lot of fun although my knees almost gave up and my feet rubbed hard against the sides of my shoes. There’s always something new to discover when running on new terrain. My body felt different. My strides changed. My footsteps sounded different. I ran a total of 8km and was back by tea. I think I’ll come back again with my parents once the cherry trees are in bloom.

2022.03.31