This week’s chapter corresponds with the eighth episode of the anime, plus the first third of the ninth episode, or roughly from 13:50 to 16:50 of the fourth season’s first episode.
Some rapid-fire location-visiting this week, so get ready for some links!
Firstly, as people may have deduced, they’re visiting Mount Takao this chapter (and the next).
Page 103, they’re arriving at Takaosanguchi Station, operated by Keio - to get there from Hanno, it takes three trains (fortunately, at Takao Station there’s a direct transfer gate between the JR section and the Keio section). Just over an hour’s total travel time.
Page 106 has a solid list of locations shown, all of which show up in more detail in the following pages. In order from the bottom of the mountain to the top (bottom-right of the panel to top-left), these are: Takaosanguchi Station (linked above), Kiyotaki Station (the funincular/chairlift lower station), Beer Mount (labelled 展望台 here - everything from pages 109 to 114 is in the vicinity of here), Hipparidako, the 108 Steps, Tengu’s Seat Cedar, Aizendo and the Wish-Granting Ring (both located within the Yakuo-in complex), and finally the summit (with, uh, tea house… though it’s a soba restaurant). And Fuji-san.
Page 112, Google Map’s distance-measuring function tells me this lookout is almost bang-on 50km from the Skytree. About 50.73km. Page 117 includes a bonus location not mentioned on 106’s overview: Daishido, also within Yakuo-in.
For my own comments, I’ve previously shared this post in the BBC main thread with photos from my own visit matched up with stills from the anime, but for more photos (and a great deal more words), you can also read my blog post on the subject.
Does anyone else think the art style in this chapter has jumped up a bit since the previous one?
Page 107, it mildly bugs me that Aoi hears “mountain railway” and immediately assumes “ropeway”.