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Sep 23 2015 14 Comments

West Tokyo’s natural wonders

Tokyo’s often brightly decorated streets are fascinating to explore. They are gritty, attention grabbing and absolutely littered with good bars and eateries. In fact so seemingly limitless are the city’s offerings that even relatively small areas possess more than enough stimulation for countless lives, let alone the measly one we are limited to.

But escaping the urban scene is good every now and again. Absolutely necessary sometimes. And yet even then one doesn’t need to leave the capital, as way out west it’s another world altogether. One where the colours are all natural.

west Tokyo

Climbing is still social but in a very different sense.

west Tokyo

And perhaps most important of all, relaxation is preposterously easy.

west Tokyo

Categorized: Photography

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Al says

    9/23/2015 at 11:08 am

    Beautiful! Love the colors. Would never have guessed this is Tokyo! 😮

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/23/2015 at 2:41 pm

      Not the usual image eh? Not only is it quite beautiful, but it’s very easily accessed too. A very nice escape.

      Reply
      • Adela says

        10/2/2016 at 3:58 pm

        that’s beautiful! is it near Oume or futher along the river?

        Reply
        • Lee says

          10/2/2016 at 9:22 pm

          A little bit further. These were taken between Mitake and Sawai stations. A nice little walk, with the bonus of the sake brewery at the end for some sampling.

          Reply
  2. Hans ter Horst says

    9/23/2015 at 5:10 pm

    Amazing how large Tokyo really is, right? I was surprised Mt Takao was still in Tokyo. This is light years away from the hordes of people on the underground, the homeless people and the grubby restaurants; I bet you felt relaxed all a sudden. I never realize during my stay, but I feel that Tokyo stresses me when I get back to nature.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/23/2015 at 8:19 pm

      Yeah, it really is. Amazingly how quick it changes too. One minute it’s the regular buildings and concrete, then suddenly everything is green. Always a surprise, and always a treat, regardless of how many times I’ve experienced it.

      That’s an interesting point about urban Tokyo life. Haven’t really thought about that before. But yeah, that almost subconscious urge — which really can’t be healthy — to rush for a train or quickly get something done immediately dissipates when out west.

      Reply
  3. John says

    9/23/2015 at 9:17 pm

    Those are really beautiful spots! (Being from mid-west USA I don’t get enough of Mountains). I was surprised that there aren’t more people out by the stream. My impression of Japan is that everything good and beautiful gets flooded with people whenever there’s a chance (weekends, holidays).

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/23/2015 at 9:47 pm

      Yes, they really are. And they’ll be even more beautiful in a month or so when the autumn colours are at their peak.

      These were taken yesterday, which was a national holiday, and the trains out there were busy. But with people getting off at different spots, for different reasons, nowhere was overly busy. Always people about of course, but with it being a large, spread out area, it was still quiet enough to make it nice and relaxing.

      Reply
  4. Matt Talbot says

    9/24/2015 at 2:35 am

    Are people allowed to pitch tents overnight there?

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/24/2015 at 11:34 am

      We wondered about that. It being Japan, I’d suspect not. But at the same time, it’s hard to imagine anyone stopping them.

      Reply
  5. willy says

    9/24/2015 at 11:34 am

    very nice. very nice indeed.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/24/2015 at 6:48 pm

      Yeah, it’s a wonderful area to walk, chill out and simply take in the scenery. Even more amazing considering how quick and easy it is to get there.

      Reply
  6. David Lowe says

    9/26/2015 at 10:52 am

    Nice one Lee, looks you guys had a nice day out on the Tama River. I often see some of those boulder’s lugging their crash pads on the train – and looks like you managed to track down a favourite haunt. Nice balance of colour saturation on the first pic also 😉

    Reply
    • Lee says

      9/26/2015 at 11:28 pm

      Thanks a lot. Yes, a very nice day out. Tough to beat really. A decent walk, some food and a drink at the brewery. What’s not to like?

      There were a good few boulders that were popular. Certainly no shortage of choices by that stretch of the river.

      Reply

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