Founded in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, Atago Jinja is an important shrine to the city of Tokyo, then Edo. Before all the buildings got really tall,. the cliff that Atago Jinja sits atop was once the tallest point in the city and therefore had a lookout for fires. In a city built of wood and paper, the need to identify fires was exponentially more important. The shrine is famous for one story where a young samurai on horseback rode up the stairs to the shrine to deliver the visiting shogun a branch of plum blossoms. It is said that the young samurai impressed the shogun and was promoted. The horse that the samurai rode was said to have taken only a matter of seconds to climb the stairway, while getting the horse back down took 45 minutes. Today, the shrine is associated with success whether it's business, personal, or academic; visitors climb the stairs and pray for success in future endeavors. Sound easy? You are so wrong. The stairs are called Shussei no Ishiden (Stone Steps to Success) and rise up 26 meters (85.3 feet) at a near vertical angle. Bravo if you can do it without stopping.

For the casual: 8. For the educated: 8.

Try your skill at climbing these obnoxious stairs and then be rewarded with a small Italian bistro, a koi pond, a great view, and vending machines to quench your new insatiable thirst. This is definitely a feat of strength that will make you sore (the good kind) but deliver well deserved bragging points. So try it, take your time, and enjoy the beautiful gardens, pond, and shrine at the top of the cliff!