Mountains in Japan have always held temples and shrines. It is a purification ritual to hike up a mountain to reach the temple. Takao-san just happens to have more temples and amazing views of the city so they spiced it up a bit by adding some cafe's and other attractions. Most temples and peaks do not have the infrastructure Takao-san does. Also, there are trails leading off to other peaks that have the solitude you might be thinking of.
I was humored by the pub crawl myself. Not many mountains in the world offer a great pale ale near the summit. While the Japanese work themselves to death, they also know how to enjoy themselves.
Thanks for the comment. My writing is too much of a hodgepodge. I tend to write like I am talking to someone rather than formatting and writing like most professionals do. I'd like to do the latter though.
RE: Travel Tuesdays #24: Return To Mt. Takao