Shiga Highlights Tours

Tour of Hieizan Enryaku-ji Temple

(Highlights) More than 1,200 years have passed since the Reverend Dengyo-daishi Saicho settled in Mt. Hieizan. It is called the Mother Mountain of the Japanese Buddhist world, since it trained and gave birth to many noted priests like Honen, Eisai, Shinran, Dogen and Nichiren. Hieizan Enryaku-ji-Temple, registered in the World Cultural Heritage Sites list, consists of many magnificent buildings and lies on the top of Mt.Hiei which is some 800 meters high above the sea level. The temple precincts are made up of three districts: Toto (East district), Seito (West district) and Yokogawa district. The area is so wide and slopes are so steep that you have to be dressed in clothes for a mountain climbing and be ready for a hard physical exercise. However, once you are in the temple enclosure, you will be amazed at the dozens of magnificent buildings built with exquisite techniques. (How to enjoy) You can see the beautiful scenery from a cable car as it goes up the mountain. After reaching the temple area, enjoy having a look at the splendid structures and strolling on the paths. Especially at Konponchudo hall, you can immerse yourself in the mythical world of Buddhism. It is difficult to explain what the temple is all about in its entirety in this column; just visit and see. (Others) The JR train fare from Kyoto to Otsu is 240 yen and the Keihan Railway train fare from Hama-Otsu to Sakamoto is 240 yen. You have to walk about one kilometer from JR Otsu station to Keihan Railway Hama-Otsu station. The cable-car charge is 860 yen for one-way, 11-minute ride and the temple entrance fee is 700 yen.