October 31, 2004
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Mt. Takao 10/31/2004
Aki took a day off and we headed out the to end of the Keio line for a visit to Mt. Takao. We have tromped up this small mountain more times that I can count, but today we chose to take the easy way up by cable car. Here are some pictures of the cable car before departure.
See the photographer in the mirror?
After getting off the cable car, we got some roasted rice balls. The ladies roast the rice-kabobs over the coals and then paint them all over with sweet miso. They are a bit pricey at $3.00 a stick, so we shared.
Let's stop at some scenic spots along the path.
Mt. Takao is still technically inside the metropolis of Tokyo, which can be seen from the mountain.
Here is a picture of a young priest who is taking lessons on the "Horagai" a coiled sea shell that is big enough to double as a kind of trumpet. You can see the shell dangling at the fellow's side as he partakes in conversation with an elderly visitor to the temple.
In another picture, we could hear him practicing inside a temple building, and he was producing all varieties of harmonics! You may or may not appreciate the lack of audio files with the photograph.
Ok, we are going back down the mountain. Everybody looks down and hopes that the cables have been checked lately! On the way down we pass another car on the way up.
