The One about Mount Takao in Hachioji Part 3 – What to do at Kiyotaki Station
The One about Mount Takao in Hachioji Part 2 – On the Way to Kiyotaki Station
The One about Mount Takao in Hachioji Part 1 – Arriving at Takaosanguchi Station
Once you begin walking the path from the halfway point that you arrived in via cable car or echo lift, about 10 minutes into your walk/hike through Mount Takao, you will come upon a closed section, The Mount Takao Monkey Park and Wild Flower Garden.
The location is there are about 70 monkeys and one can view and observe monkey habits and also see some of the newborn monkeys at the park.
The first generation followed the leadership of Banzou, who was introduced in Showa 45 (1970) and his name was Banzou.
As the first boss at the monkey park, a typhoon hit Mount Takao and Banzou escaped from the park, but he fought against wild dogs and died in order to defend the other monkeys in the flock.
The second boss was named “Ben” and was the boss for over 20 years through 1995.
The third boss is “Betta” who was the boss from 1995-1997 and was the first female boss among the monkeys. She is the sister of Ben.
The fourth boss is “Kaku” from 1997-2003 who was mentally and physically strong and prevented wild monkeys and is known for standing his ground against a large number of monkeys.
The current boss since 2003 is “Nessin”, who is known for his superior behavior and known for his kindness including to the little ones.
According to the caretakers, these monkeys store food in an inner pocket on both sides of their jaws. When they are fed, the food is kept in the inner pockets off the mouth and whenever they are hungry, they can push the food in to their throat or eat slowly.
The monkeys have two white spots on their rear, which helps to add for padding when they sit on branches and rocks. They are born with this but once they grow older, the white portion becomes harder.
As for the baby monkeys, they have a part in the hair of the middle of their head. The babies are born every spring at the park.
One behavior you will notice are the monkeys playing, making sounds of friendship, annoyance or even threatening sounds. And a monkey can judge other monkeys moods depending on the voice they emit. What’s interesting is that the monkey at the park remember their names, when called by the staff.
Another behavior is that they are often grooming each other. There is a common misconception that monkeys are picking off flease, but they groom to show good affection to another monkey.
Here is video I shot from the Mount Takao monkey park:
As for the Wild Flower Garden at Mount Takao, this section features 300 types of wild plants, with various plants being on full display throughout the four seasons.
The amount of flowers that grows in the wild flower garden is impressive. You can see the list of wildflowers that grow but it’s quite impressive.
But I went during the late fall, so the beautiful flowers known for their colors in the spring and summer were not as visible and the primary beauty were the colorful trees. But I would imagine during the spring and summer, the wild flowers are beautiful.
But the question many will have is if the location is worth the price to visit. If you have an hour to spare, then yes.
It’s inexpensive at Y420 for adults and Y210 for children. The area is open pretty much from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00/4:30 p.m.
I found myself at the monkey park for a half an hour and the other half an hour at the park, but also, it may be a much needed break for those who need the restroom or something to see if you don’t want to go on the hike up to the top of the mountain.
But to have a monkey park in the middle of the forest and as an attraction while hiking up to the mountain is fascinating but having a park with wildflower attraction is another incentive to visit.
So, it’s definitely worth checking out!
In Part 5, I will continue to cover the hike up to the top of Mount Takao.
