When a colleague asked me a fortnight ago if I wanted to go up Mount Takao for a nomihodai (all-you-can-drink) session I didn’t think too much of it but as the morning of the event neared last Saturday I began to think that it was a mental suggestion. The idea of climbing a mountain in 30+ degrees and reaching the top sweating, dehydrated and hungry and embarking on two hours of alcohol excess didn’t sound like the most sensible idea.

What he didn’t mention was that we wouldn’t be acsending the 599m high mountain on foot and that a buffet was also included. Furthermore I didn’t know that there was gonna be a big group of us which made just getting there a task in itself what with all the waiting for people and stopping off along the way to meet others.

A choice of cable-car or chairlift took us up about half-way with most of us opting for the more exciting latter option as we’d have to come down via the former for sure. After we disembarked we popped into the monkey park for a very short visit just before closing time and then it was the fairly short walk to the peak to see the lush green forest views and take a few photographs.

         

Then it was time for the real business of drinking though most of us were more in need of food than anything else! Mind you we had to wait nearly an hour for that privilege as the garden party area was too full but we could get free beer while we waited. Eventually we had an amazing buffet available to us and proceeded to neck a fair few beers in what was a different but very nice setting.