{"id":11996,"date":"2016-10-07T09:00:45","date_gmt":"2016-10-07T08:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.insidejapantours.com\/?p=11996"},"modified":"2020-01-29T12:09:11","modified_gmt":"2020-01-29T12:09:11","slug":"mount-hiei-marathon-hike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/07\/mount-hiei-marathon-hike\/","title":{"rendered":"A marathon hike in Kyoto"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>Kyoto resident and Inside Japan tour leader Richard Farmer is a keen hiker, and loves exploring new trails around his adopted home city. In this blog post, he lets us in on one of his new discoveries &#8211; a beautiful (and challenging) hike on nearby Mount Hiei. If you&#8217;re interested in tackling the hike yourself, skip to the bottom of this post for details on how!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>The ancient capital of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/japanese-destinations\/kyoto\/\">Kyoto<\/a> is a fantastic starting point for some great hiking opportunities in Japan. Kyoto is hemmed in on three sides by mountains, which creates an oven-like atmosphere as the heat pools in the Kyoto basin over summer. But every cloud has a silver lining, and those same mountains present myriad hiking opportunities for energetic visitors to the region. There are a number of hiking trails that run through the mountains, and earlier this year I travelled with our Kansai-based guide, Suzuki-san, to explore some of them, which you can read about in his blog posts (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/08\/walking-the-kyoto-trail-pt-one\/\">part one<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/12\/walking-kyoto-trail-part-two\/\">part two<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/15\/walking-the-kyoto-trail-part-three\/\">part three<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>Today I would like to introduce Mount Hiei, my favourite hiking destination in Kyoto (although actually the mountain straddles the border between Kyoto and Shiga prefectures), which combines hiking with my favourite thing. If you\u2019ve been following any of my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/author\/richardijt\/\">earlier blog posts<\/a>, you might have guessed what that thing is\u2026 Yes, it\u2019s Buddhism!<\/p>\n<p>Mount Hiei is the home of Enryaku-ji, the head temple of the Tendai school of Buddhism, founded by the monk Saicho (also known by his posthumous name Dengyo Daishi) in 788 AD. Although it\u2019s possible to visit Enryaku-ji by public transport nowadays, I think it\u2019s much more fitting to visit the hallowed temple in the historical fashion \u2013 on foot. The mountain can be approached from various directions, and there are a number of different hiking trails criss-crossing the mountain. One of the most popular trails starts from near Shugaku-in station in the Northeast of Kyoto city.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11997\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11997\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11997\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1.jpg\" alt=\"Mount Hiei looms in the distance near Shugaku-in Station\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-1-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11997\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mount Hiei looms in the distance near Shugaku-in Station<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From Shugaku-in Station it takes about 20 minutes to walk to the trailhead. The course is not technically difficult, but it\u2019s unpaved and quite steep in places. Sturdy hiking shoes are definitely required.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11998\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11998\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11998\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2.jpg\" alt=\"The trail from Shugaku-in\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-2-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11998\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The trail from Shugaku-in<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The total elevation of the mountain is only 848 m, a baby compared to Mount Fuji\u2019s towering 3,776 m, but it\u2019s very interesting to see how the landscape changes as you ascend. As you get towards the summit, the scenery changes to towering and majestic cedar trees.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11999\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11999\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-11999\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3.jpg\" alt=\"Cedar trees lining the later stages of the trail\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-3-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11999\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cedar trees lining the later stages of the trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Before reaching Enryaku-ji Temple, there are some fantastic views along the final approach. From one vantage point it\u2019s possible to see all the way to Osaka, Japan\u2019s third-largest city, in the distance.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12000\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12000\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4.jpg\" alt=\"Views over to the metropolis of Osaka\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-4-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12000\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Views over to the metropolis of Osaka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When navigating Japan\u2019s hiking courses, wearing a bear-bell is highly recommended in order to announce your presence to the wildlife that sometimes share the trails. Black bears, wild boar and macaque monkeys can all be found in Japan\u2019s mountainous areas, and you don\u2019t want to get on the wrong side of any of them! I\u2019ve come across macaque monkeys on this trail before, and they are far less keen on humans invading their space than the famous &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/experience-japan\/i-ne012-3\/snow-monkeys\/\">snow monkeys<\/a>&#8221; &#8211; the nonchalant primates who bathe in Nagano Prefecture\u2019s <em>onsen<\/em> hot-spring waters. Tread carefully!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12001\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12001\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12001\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5.jpg\" alt=\"Monkeying around\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-5-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12001\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Monkeying around<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After around two hours of hiking, you will arrive at the Enryaku-ji Temple complex. The temple\u2019s buildings are sprawled all across the mountain, but are mainly concentrated in three compounds. Two of these areas, the To-to (East pagoda) and Sai-to (West Pagoda) are located close to each other. The third complex, Yokawa (which means &#8220;beside the river&#8221;) is another one and a half hours hike from the To-to and Sai-to.<\/p>\n<p>In its heyday, Enryaku-ji covered the whole mountain, consisting of around 3,000 different temple buildings. However, the whole mountain was razed to the ground in the 16<sup>th<\/sup> century by the warlord Oda Nobunaga as a way of controlling the monks of the Tendai establishment, who were getting a little too powerful for his liking (he wasn\u2019t just being paranoid, the Tendai school had a whole army of &#8220;warrior monks&#8221; on the mountain!). After this conflict, the buildings were reconstructed, and most buildings on the mountain today date from the late 16<sup>th<\/sup> and early 17<sup>th<\/sup> centuries.<\/p>\n<p>There are nowhere near 3,000 buildings now, but there are still quite a lot! Enryaku-ji\u2019s centre of worship is the Konpon-Chudo, the main hall. It\u2019s actually undergoing a long-term restoration project at the moment, and is covered in scaffolding, but don\u2019t let that deter you from visiting, there\u2019s plenty more to see besides!<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12002\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12002\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12002\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6.jpg\" alt=\"The Konpon-Chudo\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-6-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12002\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Konpon-Chudo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Other areas of the Enryaku-ji complex are unaffected by the restoration work taking place on the main hall, such as the East Pagoda and Amida Hall in the To-to part of the complex.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12003\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12003\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12003\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7.jpg\" alt=\"The East Pagoda and Amida Hall\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-7-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12003\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The East Pagoda and Amida Hall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One fascinating aspect of Mount Hiei\u2019s history is the so-called &#8220;Marathon Monks&#8221; who take part in an ascetic practice called <em>kaihogyo<\/em>. <em>Kaihogyo<\/em> takes place over 1000 days, spread over a seven-year period. Over the years, the monks commit to walking (the word &#8220;marathon&#8221; is slightly misleading &#8211; the monks hike, but don\u2019t run) either 100 or 200 days of the year over increasingly long distances, starting at 30km per day and working up to 84km per day in the final year.<\/p>\n<p>The hardest part, however, comes during the fifth year, when the monk commits to spending seven and a half days constantly reciting a Buddhist holy mantra. This is done without food, rest, or even water! Any monk who completes the full seven-year <em>kaihogyo<\/em> training is seen to be a living Buddha. A fully well deserved title in my mind!\u00a0 A handful of monks have completed this training twice!<\/p>\n<p>It doesn\u2019t quite involve the same distances as completing the <em>kaihogyo<\/em>, but after checking out Enryaku-ji\u2019s main temple areas, it\u2019s well worth undertaking another one and a half-hour hike over to Yokawa, the third of the mountain\u2019s temple complexes.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12004\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12004\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12004\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8.jpg\" alt=\"The main hall at Yokawa\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-8-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12004\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The main hall at Yokawa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From the top of Mount Hiei, it\u2019s possible to return to the centre of Kyoto by public transport, however there are a number of other great trails leading back into civilisation that don\u2019t involve doubling back on yourself. There are two nice trails that both lead down to the town of Sakamoto in Shiga prefecture, from where it\u2019s an easy 20 minute train journey to Kyoto station. One trail runs from the To-to area almost parallel to the Sakamoto funicular railway and offers some great views over to Lake Biwa, Japan\u2019s largest freshwater lake on the way.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12005\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12005\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12005\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9.jpg\" alt=\"Lake Biwa seen from the Sakamoto trail\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-9-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lake Biwa seen from the Sakamoto trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Another option (and an easier, less steep decent!) is a trail down to Sakamoto from the Yokawa area of the mountain. As mentioned earlier, Yokawa means \u2018beside the river\u2019 and this trail lives up to the name and follows a small river down the mountain the whole way.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_12006\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-12006\" style=\"width: 1170px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-12006\" src=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10.jpg\" alt=\"The Yokawa Sakamoto trail\" width=\"1170\" height=\"878\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Hiei-10-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-12006\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Yokawa Sakamoto trail<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A day spent hiking Mount Hiei\u2019s various trails and exploring the various temple complexes along the way is one of my favourite ways to spend a day escaping the crowds that can sometimes plague central Kyoto\u2019s most famous sights. I recently put together a Mount Hiei hiking day-tour, which can be included in our self-guided itineraries. If you&#8217;re interested in having a guided hike up to and around Mount Hiei, while learning about Japan\u2019s Buddhist heritage in the process, please mention this blog piece to your expert travel consultant. I promise to keep the distance to under 84km!<\/p>\n<p><strong>To include Richard&#8217;s tour of Mount Hiei in your trip, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/about-us\/contact-us\/\">click here<\/a> to get in touch with a travel consultant now.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F11996\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Like this post? Help us by sharing it! Kyoto resident and Inside Japan tour leader Richard Farmer is a keen hiker, and loves exploring new trails around his adopted home city. In this blog post, he lets us in on one of his new discoveries &#8211; a beautiful (and challenging) hike on nearby Mount Hiei. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2369],"tags":[1248,1608,2678,2679,2818],"class_list":["post-11996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports-and-adventure-in-japan","tag-walking","tag-hiking","tag-richard-farmer","tag-kyoto-day-trips","tag-mount-hiei"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/59"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11996"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24805,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11996\/revisions\/24805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}