The lab PI carefully instructed the graduate students I’m working with to show me around Tokyo, to take me to locations off the beaten track whenever possible. Last week, they took me to Jindaiji, the second-oldest temple in the Tokyo area, about 1400 years old.  None of them had been there before, so it was a fun break to explore a quiet forest surrounded by urban Chofu.

On Friday, three of us played the Japanese equivalent of hooky (現実逃避, escapism) and met at the base of Mt. Takao (or Takao-san) to climb up the 599-meter peak. About 25 kilometers west of downtown Tokyo and a 35-minute train ride for me, Takao-san is a quasi-national park nestled in the verdant green hills.  Did I mention it was green and had trees?  I was reminded of the Bear Valley Trail in the Point Reyes National Seashore, but even more densely wooded.