Mount Mitake

The cable car does most of the work: six minutes from Takimoto Station up an average 22-degree slope to Mitakesan Station at 831 m. The last stretch is yours. The paved path to Musashi Mitake Shrine is flat for six or seven minutes, then climbs steeply through a village of shukubo lodgings run by oshi, hereditary shrine priests who still guide pilgrim groups from across Kanto, and ends with about 330 stone steps. Allow 25 minutes and wear proper shoes; the shrine itself warns against heels and sandals. The shrine's deity, Okuchi-no-Makami, is a wolf known as Oinu-sama, which is why so many visitors climb with their dogs. Dogs ride the cable car, and the shrine holds blessings for them from 3,000 yen, no booking needed. On weekends and holidays the treasure hall (500 yen) shows armor and swords, including a red-laced suit of armor from the late Heian period that is a national treasure. Beyond the shrine, the Rock Garden is a rocky path of about 1.5 km along a stream, from the seven-tier Nanayo Falls to the 10 m Ayahiro Falls, long used for purification rites. Mount Takao is the quicker day hike from Shinjuku; Mitake takes longer to reach but adds the shrine village and the stream walk.