This site uses affiliate links (PR). Details

Tokyo to Mt. Takao by Train: Keio from Shinjuku for ¥430, the JR Chuo Line Change at Takao and the ¥1,450 Mt. Takao Ticket (2026)

Updated 2026-10-21

Shinjuku Station, the Keio Line, ¥430, and you step off at Takaosanguchi with the mountain in front of you. That is the route for nearly everyone, and the same Keio ticket machines sell the Mt. Takao Ticket: ¥1,450 for the round trip plus the cable car both ways, ¥390 less than buying the pieces one by one. The one traveller who should not be on the Keio Line is the Japan Rail Pass holder. JR's Chuo Line reaches Takao Station, one stop and ¥140 short of Takaosanguchi, and GO TOKYO puts the whole trip from Tokyo Station at 1 hour 25 minutes. Fares and times below are from Keio, Takao Tozan and GO TOKYO, checked 2026-10-21. JR East's own fare pages refused to open, so JR fares appear as "at the gate".

Route map of three ways from Tokyo to Mt. Takao. Keio Line from Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi, 430 yen adult and 220 yen child, about 55 minutes on a semi limited express or 45 minutes on the weekend Mt.TAKAO reserved-seat train with a 400 yen seat fee online or 500 yen at a machine. Inokashira Line from Shibuya or Kichijoji to Meidaimae, change to the Keio Line, 430 yen from Shibuya. JR Chuo Line from Tokyo Station to Takao, fare paid at the gate and Japan Rail Pass accepted, then one Keio stop to Takaosanguchi for 140 yen, 1 hour 25 minutes in all. From Takaosanguchi the cable car is a 5-minute walk.
The solid line is Keio, the dashed line is JR. Only Japan Rail Pass holders have a reason to take the dashed one.

Which station are you starting from?

You are near Take Change? Time
Shinjuku Keio Line, a train bound for Takaosanguchi No About 55 minutes on a semi limited express (GO TOKYO); 45 minutes on the Mt.TAKAO train
Shibuya Keio Inokashira Line to Meidaimae, then the Keio Line Yes, at Meidaimae The Inokashira ride plus the Keio Line from Meidaimae
Kichijoji Keio Inokashira Line to Meidaimae, then the Keio Line Yes, at Meidaimae As above, from the other end of the Inokashira Line
Tokyo Station, Kanda, Ochanomizu JR Chuo Line to Takao, then one Keio stop Yes, at Takao 1 hour 25 minutes (GO TOKYO)
Yokohama JR Yokohama Line to Hachioji, JR Chuo Line to Takao, then one Keio stop Yes, at Hachioji and Takao Not published on a page we could open

Keio's own line into Shinjuku has its own station, under the Keio department store at the West Exit, and that is where the Takaosanguchi trains leave from. If you are anywhere on the JR Yamanote loop, ride it to Shinjuku first and change to Keio there. The Chuo Line looks tempting on a map because it also starts at Tokyo Station and also ends near the mountain, but it ends at the wrong station, and the Keio one-stop hop at the end adds a change and a ticket.

My rule: Keio from Shinjuku unless a Japan Rail Pass is paying for your trains. The Keio fare is ¥430 each way with no seat fee, the trains run all day, and the ticket machines at Shinjuku sell the Mt. Takao Ticket that the JR route cannot give you until Takao.

How much does the train cost?

Example Who Cost
Shinjuku round trip, hiking both ways 1 adult ¥860
Shinjuku round trip + cable car both ways, single tickets 1 adult ¥1,840 (¥430 × 2 + ¥980)
The same day on the Mt. Takao Ticket 1 adult ¥1,450, saving ¥390
Mt. Takao Ticket, cable car both ways 2 adults + 2 children aged 6 to 11 ¥4,380 (2 × ¥1,450 + 2 × ¥740); single tickets ¥5,560
Weekend Mt.TAKAO train there, ordinary train back 1 adult on the Mt. Takao Ticket ¥1,850 (¥1,450 + ¥400 seat booked online)

Children aged 1 to 5 ride Keio free, up to two per paying passenger, and the cable car carries one child under 6 free per adult. For a stroller-age family the only fares are the adults'. Not sure how many rides you will take? The Mt. Takao day trip cost calculator adds up singles against the ticket for your group.

The Mt. Takao Ticket, station by station

Keio publishes the ticket's price for every one of its stations, and the table was revised on 1 October 2025. The ticket is the Keio round trip at 20% off plus the cable car or chair lift at 23% off, in two versions: cable car both ways, or cable car one way for people who ride up and hike down.

Ticket table of the Mt. Takao Ticket by starting station, revised 1 October 2025. Adult with the cable car both ways, adult one way, child both ways, child one way: Shinjuku, Shibuya and Kichijoji 1,450, 1,090, 740 and 560 yen; Meidaimae and Shimo-Kitazawa 1,420, 1,060, 720 and 540; Chofu 1,340, 980, 670 and 490; Fuchu 1,280, 920, 640 and 460; Takahatafudo 1,130, 770, 580 and 400; Keio-Hachioji 1,100, 740, 560 and 380; Takao 990, 630, 500 and 320. From Shinjuku, single tickets would cost 1,840 yen with the cable car both ways and 1,350 yen one way, so the ticket saves 390 or 260 yen per adult.
Every row saves money against single tickets. The circled price is the one most visitors need.
From Adult, cable both ways Adult, cable one way Child, both ways Child, one way
Shinjuku, Shibuya, Kichijoji ¥1,450 ¥1,090 ¥740 ¥560
Meidaimae, Shimo-Kitazawa ¥1,420 ¥1,060 ¥720 ¥540
Chofu ¥1,340 ¥980 ¥670 ¥490
Fuchu ¥1,280 ¥920 ¥640 ¥460
Takahatafudo ¥1,130 ¥770 ¥580 ¥400
Keio-Hachioji ¥1,100 ¥740 ¥560 ¥380
Takao (change from JR) ¥990 ¥630 ¥500 ¥320

Three rules decide whether to buy it:

The detail I had not expected in Keio's table: the ticket from Takao Station, the JR transfer point, is ¥990, even though the Keio fare from there is only ¥140. Almost all of that ¥990 is the cable car. So a Japan Rail Pass holder who wants to ride up and down should still buy it, at the Keio machines in Takao Station, and will pay ¥10 more than the cable car's own ¥980 return for the one-stop train thrown in.

Weekends: the Mt.TAKAO reserved-seat train

On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays Keio runs a reserved-seat train called Mt.TAKAO straight from Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi, stopping only at Meidaimae. The timetable on Keio's page: In the leaf season (24 October to 13 December) the Momiji Festival guide has the light-up nights and the crowd advice.

Down Shinjuku Meidaimae Takaosanguchi
Mt.TAKAO 1 10:00 10:06 10:46
Mt.TAKAO 3 11:00 11:06 11:45
Up Takaosanguchi Shinjuku
Mt.TAKAO 2 14:15 15:09
Mt.TAKAO 4 15:15 16:07
Mt.TAKAO 6 16:15 17:09
Mt.TAKAO 8 17:15 18:09

The seat costs ¥400 booked online or ¥500 from a ticket machine, children the same, on top of the fare, and the Mt. Takao Ticket counts as the fare. Every seat is reserved for the whole journey, so buy before boarding; the on-train charge without a seat ticket is ¥1,000. Machines sell same-day seats at the departure station only and do not let you pick the seat. On the way back the train picks up at Takao, Mejirodai, Kitano, Takahatafudo, Seiseki-Sakuragaoka, Bubaigawara and Fuchu, but nobody gets off before Meidaimae.

Is it worth ¥400? For the 10:00 departure, yes. A guaranteed seat on a weekend morning, 45 minutes door to door and an arrival at 10:46, which puts you at the cable car before 11:00. The 14:15 return is too early for most hikers, and the 17:15 leaves after the last cable car on autumn weekdays, so check the last cable car for your month before you book the ride home.

From Tokyo Station with a Japan Rail Pass

Ride the JR Chuo Line west to Takao, the end of the rapid service. Keio's Takao Line platforms are inside the same Takao Station; follow the Keio signs, buy a ¥140 ticket or tap an IC card, and the next stop is Takaosanguchi. GO TOKYO gives the whole journey from Tokyo Station as 1 hour 25 minutes. Sagamiko, one JR stop beyond Takao, is a different outing; its winter lights are in the Sagamiko Illumillion calculator.

Without a rail pass this route makes no sense. You pay JR to Takao and then Keio for the last stop, you change trains with your hiking bag, and the direct Keio train from Shinjuku costs ¥430 all in.

From Takaosanguchi to the trails

Takao Tozan, the cable car operator, gives the walk from Takaosanguchi Station to Kiyotaki, the cable car's lower station, as about 5 minutes. Sanroku, the chair lift's lower station, is right next to it. Both rides go to the middle of the mountain for the same ¥490, and the trails start either at the station (Trails 1 and 6, and the Inariyama Trail) or at the upper stations. The trail lengths, official walking times and the last cable car for each month are in the Mt. Takao day trip itinerary. GO TOKYO puts the Keio Takaosan Onsen Gokurakuyu at a one-minute walk from the station exit, which is why it is the usual last stop; prices and its tattoo rule are in Mt. Takao onsen.

What I would do

Booking the day

PR Affiliate links (disclosure): booking through them supports this site at no extra cost. You do not need a tour for the train: the Keio ticket machines at Shinjuku have an English menu and sell every ticket on this page.

Frequently asked questions

How much is the train from Shinjuku to Mt. Takao?

¥430 per adult each way on the Keio Line to Takaosanguchi, ¥220 for children aged 6 to 11, the same by ticket or IC card. The Mt. Takao Ticket, ¥1,450, bundles the round trip with the cable car both ways (Keio's prices, checked 2026-10-21).

How long does it take from Tokyo to Mt. Takao?

About 55 minutes from Shinjuku on a Keio semi limited express and 45 minutes on the weekend Mt.TAKAO train, both figures from GO TOKYO and Keio. From Tokyo Station by the JR Chuo Line with the change at Takao, GO TOKYO gives 1 hour 25 minutes.

Does the Japan Rail Pass cover the train to Mt. Takao?

Only as far as Takao Station on the JR Chuo Line. The last stop to Takaosanguchi is Keio, ¥140, and the cable car and chair lift are Takao Tozan, so neither is covered.

Where do I buy the Mt. Takao Ticket?

At the ticket machines of any Keio Line or Inokashira Line station except Takaosanguchi, on the day you travel. It is not sold from 31 December to 3 January.

Official sources (checked 2026-10-21)

More for your trip