A project is under way to create hiking courses on Mount Mitake in Ome, northwest Tokyo, so hikers can take their dogs for walks around the mountain, which is home to a Shinto shrine honoring a mythical dog.
The Ome Chamber of Commerce and Industry and other local entities, which hope the plan will attract more hikers to the area, solicited participants for a trial run last Nov. 25. On offer were three courses — 60, 90 and 120 minutes — that lead to the top of the 929-meter peak.
The three courses were chosen from lesser-used paths to avoid bothering mainstream hikers.