Last Updated: Jul 17, 2024
Scaling Mt. Kumotori
The Highest Mountain in All of Tokyo
Just how many hours had it been since I started making my arduous ascent toward the summit of Mt. Kumotori (lit. “Cloud Catcher Mountain”)? Somewhere along the way, I had switched off the active part of my mind for the first time in a while. Step after step, I was slowly starting to lose track of both time and reality. Of course, the constant ringing of the bear bell at my side wasn’t helping either, and I was quickly slipping into what could only be described as a walking meditation. In between the lapses in consciousness, I caught myself reflecting on why the hell I had willingly signed up to trek to what is the highest mountain in all of Tokyo.
If we’re being honest, most overseas visitors to Japan don’t immediately tend to associate the image of Tokyo with that of rocky crags. While spiritual enclaves like the one atop Mt. Takao have achieved a bit more recognition, very few foreign tourists realize just how rugged the terrain gets in the western reaches of Tokyo. At the center of these rolling ridges sits Mt. Kumotori. Officially high enough at 2,017 meters tall to poke out above the cloud line, this peak lives up to the moniker of being a “Cloud Catcher” in that you’ll often find cloud banks clinging to its steep cliffs.
