Report #6: Hachioji
Report #6: Hachioji
Easy access to Shinjuku and Takao, full gardens, and rooms to spare.
A&I News
Happy Holidays!
2022 went by pretty fast, huh! That seems to be a theme recently, but no matter, we’re quite happy with all our accomplishments this year at A&I, from exploring akiya-powered hunting lodges in Minami Boso, to working with snowhound clients in Yuzawa, to advising local communities in Shinano, there’s so much life-affirming opportunity and adventure out there in not-Tokyo to explore that we can’t be anything but immensely grateful and humbled by it.
And, of course, we also hope that you, our dear readers, have had a wonderful year and that 2023 brings you much joy and happiness from the very first day.
As such, we’ve opened up this month’s entire newsletter to the public, so read on, and enjoy! And yes, as usual the property listing is down at the bottom.
The Experience - Mt. Takao Range
As is my (Matt) wont, I’ve spent the last few weeks with various communities across Japan exploring the wilderness as the year comes to an end. Most recently, an acquaintance and I (and 2 doggos, seen here) ascended to the top of the mighty Mt. Takao in Hachioji.
Takao-san is the most famous but not-largest of the many peaks in the area, which is surrounded by quaint villages and coffee shops and, of course, abundant nature. Depending on how you go, the time it takes to reach the peak of Takao-san varies, but we took The Road. In hindsight, this was maybe not the best option as it took us only 45 or so minutes of walking along concrete to get to the peak.
On the way down, we had the wherewithal to choose an actual hiking path, which was quite nice and even granted us the candle footage used in the video at the top of this newsletter.
Once we got down, we felt like lazing about a bit in the very charming village, and sat down for lunch at a local restaurant.
After finishing a lazy lunch, we still had an appetite for adventure, and so we began scheming about ways to maximize the good times.
First step? We needed to find a hitō (秘湯、secret onsen) in the hills. Jinya Onsen seemed to provide a decent escape from the doldrums of Tokyo’s idea of the great outdoors. So we set off in that direction, and wouldn’t you know it, that’s where things started to get interesting.
Takao is a small village, so you’ll quickly find yourself out of it and into the woods. Soon enough, we were well and truly winding through a heavily forested mountain pass. And that’s exactly where you can expect to find akiya’s haggard cousin, the truly dilapidated haikyo, which we found without very much difficulty at all.
We kicked around a bit, and determined that it was actually a pretty cool lot. Sure, the building ought to be demolished, but the river running behind it had some really great pools in it that could be used to great effect with a sauna tent, and the land itself was quite flat and good for a campsite.
So, really, what you’d want to do if you were adventurous to buy this land but not demo the building, is clear out all the garbage in the building itself (most of it wooden, some machinery) so that you could open up more direct access to the river, and take down all the shrubbery in front of the building to have a decent plot to pitch tents on, and call it a day.
Think of the remaining ruined building as an accent on the land as you’re barbecuing with friends after a day of hot saunas and cold plunges.
We moved on from the haikyo after an hour or so, with the intent of next arriving at the hitō, but that’s not what the universe had in store for us, oh no.
Instead, as we were coming around the bend on the peak of a mountain we weren’t familiar with (yet), I spotted a nefariously long staircase and wondered aloud, “what’s up there?” This, naturally, piqued the interest of my companion, and so we quickly alighted from our mighty steed (a Pajero Mini, which drives quite nicely compared to my Jimny) and set upon the massive staircase with muster.
After a much longer ascent than we expected, we reached the peak, which opened up quite spectacularly and, notably, with a rather pristine view of Mt. Fuji in the distance.
We had also timed our arrival pretty well, as it was close to sunset and the descending sun shone upon the mountain in a very lovely fashion.
After the relatively long hike up to the chilly top, we were also glad to discover a cafe that was miraculously open, and so we popped in there for some coffee and to take in the sights.
Soon, though, we had had our fill of this the view as well, and began the trek back down to our car, meeting a few fellow hikers along the way. We also had to deal with one of the dogs being characteristically stubborn, this time paused on the steps above our car for at least 10 minutes, looking off into the distance.
But we eventually got everyone into the car and set off once again for the onsen, pausing every now and then to take additional pictures - like the one above - of the now fully setting sun.
After another 30 or so minutes through the winding back roads, we reached our destination, Jinya Onsen. Unfortunately for us, we had arrived 30 minutes after their established business hours had ended; fortunately for us, the owner is a very kind woman who was very open to letting us use the facilities anyway.
And so our day of adventure ended soaking in an empty onsen in a deserted mountain valley deep in the Takao mountains, pleased with our discoveries that day and looking forward to many more.
The Accommodation: Jinya Onsen
As mentioned in the experience above, Jinya Onsen is a 秘湯 (hitō, or secret onsen) tucked deep into the hills and valleys of the Takao Mountain Range, and also situated right next to… well, above… a river.
The onsen themselves overlook said river, and have quite the view at sunset as the sun dips beneath the trees.
The rooms are of the Japanese variety, and quite comfortable and spacious.
The fare is local and traditional, which is particularly nice in the cold winter weather.
And the owner is about as kind as they come. Highly recommended.
The Property: Mejirodai, Hachioji
We’re working directly with the owners on this one, a lovely older couple looking to find someone who can benefit from this property’s qualities just as much as they were able to.
Located just 5 minutes from Mejirodai Station on the Keio Line, this two story house complete with basement and parking garage is a 13 minute train ride to the entrance of Mt. Takao as well as a 52 minute ride to Shinjuku Station.
If you’re looking for a great jumping off point into Japan’s wide wilderness, this is one helluva good place to consider.