Real Life Scene from Encouragement of Climb: Mt Takao Cable Car Station

For fans of the anime *Encouragement of Climb*, one of the first locations to appear during the Mt Takao adventure is the cable car station at the base of the mountain in Hachioji, Tokyo. The distinctive building is instantly recognizable, with its triangular roof, large windows, and mountain setting faithfully recreated in the anime.

In Season 1, Episode 8, at around 34 seconds, the characters arrive at Mt Takao and are shown standing in front of the cable car station before beginning their climb. Comparing the anime scene with a real-life photograph shows just how closely the animators followed the actual location, right down to the shape of the building and its position against the surrounding forested hills.

The cable car is one of the most popular ways to start a visit to Mt Takao, carrying visitors partway up the mountain and providing access to the trails, viewpoints, shops, and Yakuoin Temple. Even more than a decade after the episode first aired, the station remains immediately recognizable to fans.

Seeing real places brought to life in anime is one of the pleasures of anime pilgrimage travel in Japan, and Mt Takao offers plenty of opportunities to follow in the characters' footsteps.