If you are driving, you can stop by Iwama-dera Temple (岩間寺) after visiting Ishiyama-dera. It is the 12th temple on the 33 Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage. The temple founded by Taichō (泰澄) is formally known as Iwamasan Shōhō-ji (岩間山正法寺). It is situated close to the summit of Mt. Iwama (岩間山). The mountain, of an altitude of […]
Iwama-dera – A Peaceful Temple in the Mountain of Ōtsu Read More »
Nowadays, most of the restaurants in Mt. Hiei are no longer vegetarian. The best place to head to for lunch is Enryakuji Kaikan (延暦寺会館) in the Tōtō area. It is also where you can spend a night at Enryakuji. The meals served in the restaurant on the second floor are all vegan. Not only is
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Mt. Hiei’s Yokawa (横川) area is the least visited but most spiritual part of Enryakuji by tourists. The area was founded by Ennin (円仁), also known as Jigaku Daishi (慈覚大師). He is the disciple of Saichō (最澄) and the third head of the Tendai sect in Japan. Tucked deep in the mountain, this part of Mt. Hiei
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The Tōdō (東塔) area is the center of Enryakuji, where the most critical worship halls are located. Moreover, the mountaintop station of Sakamoto Cable Car and Eizan Ropeway is also close to the Tōdō area. Thus, if you have time constraints, focus on the attractions in the east part of Mt. Hiei.
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Kyoto, the former capital of Japan, is undoubtedly the top tourist destination in the country. But because of its popularity, the city center is packed with hundreds of thousands of tourists. So, if you want to enjoy the traditional side of Japan without being surrounded by strangers, visit Mt. Hiei, located on the border between Kyoto and Shiga
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Saikyō-ji (西教寺), at the foot of southeastern Mt. Hiei, is the headquarter of the Tendai Shinsei sect (天台真盛宗), which has more than 450 branches across Japan. The temple also gets more attention when fall foliage brightens up the scenery.
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Just like any other Toshogū shrines in Japan, Hiyoshi Toshogū (日吉東照宮) is a shrine where Tokugawa Ieyasu is enshrined. A Tōshōgū was built here in 1634 because the monk Tenkai (天海), who glorified him as Tōshō Daigongen (東照大権現), is based at Sakamoto.
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If you are wondering which Satobō in Sakamoto the head of Enryakuji retired to, it is the Shigain Monzeki Temple (滋賀院門跡). It was established when the buildings were moved from Kyoto’s Hōshō-ji Temple (法勝寺) at the beginning of the Edo period. Until the late Edo period, the Shigain Monzeki Temple was where the retired heads
Shigain Monzeki: Where Enryakuji’s Head Monks Retired to Read More »
Amongst all the Satobō (residence of retired monks) in Sakamoto, the Former Chikurin-in (旧竹林院) is probably the most famous. Not only is it known to be one of the highest-rank temples in Enryakuji, but its garden was also designated the National Place of Scenery Beauty in 1998. Nowadays, this garden is known as a spot
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Takashima City (高島市), northwest of Shiga Prefecture, is a trove of photogenic spots. There is a torii gate standing in the ocean-like Lake Biwa, a 4 km long cherry blossom road, a garden full of lilies covering a part of a mountain, and much more! The city is less than a 45-minute train ride from
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