| Mount Hiei 比叡 山, Hiei-zan | |
 | |
| State | Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Kansai |
| Height | 848 m a.s.l. |
| Tourism site | |
Mount Hiei is located in the Kansai.
To know
It is one of the sacred mountains of Japan.
Geographical notes
Mount Hiei is a mountain north of Kyoto in the Sakamoto (坂 本) district of the city of Ōtsu. It is famous for its vast temple complex near the top. Many travelers come here from Kyoto and often come through the town of Yase (八 瀬) at the base of the mountain.
Background
Enryaku-ji temple (延 暦 寺), the first Japanese settlement of the esoteric Buddhist sect Tendai, was founded on the summit of Mount Hiei dal Saichō (Dengyō Daishi) in 788. The temple was razed to the ground by Oda Nobunaga in 1571 to suppress the rise of the Tendai warrior monks, but it has been rebuilt and remains the seat of the Tendai to this day.
Territories and tourist destinations
Mount Hiei: full screen map.Urban centers
How to get
However tiring it is, you can also reach the mountain on foot, or go back to the valley without paying for public transport tickets.
A great way to save on the price of individual transport and entrance tickets is with the two passes provided by the Keihan company.
- [link not working]Hieizan 1 day (It is purchased at the Kansai Tourist Information Center at the Kyoto Tower.).
¥ 2500 adults, ¥ 1250 children (Mar 2019). 
On sale from 21 March to 1 December. As shown in the link, this pass allows you to save 40% on tickets to access Mount Hiei from Kyoto. Allows you to take train, rack, cable car and bus for a whole day. This pass does not include entrance tickets. Remember that the same must be used on the same day of purchase. - [link not working]Mt. Hiei sightseen pass (It can be purchased at all information centers in Kyoto.). ¥ 3900 adults, ¥ 1800 children (Mar 2019). On sale from 21 March to 1 December. This pass allows the use for one day of all means to reach Mount Hiei from both Kyoto and Otsu. The area is large enough to allow travel to and from Osaka, Uji, Kyoto is Otsu. By displaying the pass at the entrance of the temples there are discounts. The ticket must be used on the same day of sale if purchased at Keihan stations.
¥ 2500 adults, ¥ 1250 children (Mar 2019). 
On sale from 21 March to 1 December. As shown in the link, this pass allows you to save 40% on tickets to access Mount Hiei from Kyoto. Allows you to take train, rack, cable car and bus for a whole day. This pass does not include entrance tickets. Remember that the same must be used on the same day of purchase.By car
The mountain can be reached by car. Once you reach the top there are several parking lots.
On the train
The mountain can be reached from both sides, from Otsu or Kyoto.
From Otsu
- 1 Sakamoto-hieizanguchi station. Served by the Keihan Electric Railway company, it follows the Keihan Ishiyama Sakamoto line.
- 2 JR Hieizan Sakamoto Station (比叡 山 坂 本 駅 Hieizan Sakamoto-eki). The JR Kosei Line goes directly to Hieizan-Sakamoto Station which is 1,200 meters walk from the Sakamoto Cable Car. The same is connected to that of the rack via a bus.
There is also a rack railway (Sakamoto):
- 3 Sakamoto Lower Station (The station can be reached by bus from JR Hieizan Sakamoto Station or on foot in 25 minutes. From Sakamoto-hieizanguchi station 15 minutes on foot.). adults 840 ¥, children 430 ¥. Round trip adults ¥ 1620, children ¥ 810 (Mar 2019), group discounts. 8: 00-17: 00 (times vary according to the season, check the link). The cog railway covers a distance of 2 km in 11 minutes and allows you to climb the peaks of the Mount Hiei where you can visit the Enryaku-ji temple.
From Kyoto
You can also take the Keihan main line for 4 Demachiyanagi and from there change station by taking an Eizan train to Yase-Hieizan-guchi station.
- 5 Yase-Hieizanguchi station (八 瀬 比叡 山口 駅 Yase-Hieizan-guchi-eki).
From there you take an Eizan rack railway first and a funicular then that make the way to the top of the mountain:
- 6 Keifuku Rack Bottom Station (Yase station), Kamitakano Higashiyama, Sakyo Ward, Kyoto. Adults ¥ 540, children ¥ 270, round trip adults ¥ 1080, children ¥ 540 (group discounts). every 30 minutes Mon-Sun 8: 30-17: 30 (times vary slightly according to the season).
- 7 Lower station of the cable car. Adults 310 ¥, children 160 ¥, round trip adults 620 ¥, children 310 ¥ (group discounts). 3-minute journey every 10-20 minutes Mon-Sun 9:00 am-6:00pm.
How to get around
A pleasant alternative is to walk.
By bus
There is a bus that connects the different parts of the mountain at a cost of ¥ 1000. The same is covered by both passes for Mount Hiei.
By car
There are several car parks near the various areas to visit.
What see
- 1 Hiei Garden Museum (ガ ー デ ン ミ ュ ー ジ ア ム 比叡). 1000 ¥ adults, 500 ¥ children. It offers spectacular views of the Biwa Lake, garden flowers, art galleries, a café, large outdoor reproductions of famous works of French Impressionism, and a pond with water lilies and an arch bridge that aims to replicate the Japanese garden designed by Claude Monet in Giverny (France), and also featured in many of his later paintings. It is also the seat of the tomb of Saichō (Dengyō Daishi), the founder of Tendai Buddhism in Japan, and attracts many Japanese who sing (uguisu).
- Monument to Bruno Petzold. There is a station near the top of the Sakamoto funicular called Motateyama. Walking a few hundred meters from this stop will take you to a monument that was erected in memory of Bruno Petzold, a German religious and researcher from Tendai who lived in Japan until his death in 1949.
Enryaku-ji
2 Enryaku-ji (延 暦 寺). East Tower, West Tower and Yokogawa: Adults 700 ¥, children 500 ¥ or 300 ¥. 8:30-16:30. The temples on Mount Hiei are collectively known as Enryaku-ji, literally "Long Calendar Temple". It was the first Japanese settlement of the esoteric Buddhist sect Tendai, founded by Saichō (Dengyō Daishi) in 788. The temple was later razed by Oda Nobunaga in 1571 to suppress the rise of the Tendai warrior monks, but it was rebuilt and remains the seat of the Tendai to this day.
- The large complex is generally divided into three sections known as the Eastern Pagoda (東 塔 Tōdo), Western Pagoda (西塔 Saito) and Yokawa (横 川); the pagodas no longer exist, but the names have remained. Most of the most famous temples are concentrated in the eastern pagoda area.
- 3 Konpon Chudō (根本 中堂). ¥ 500 adult, ¥ 300 student, ¥ 100 child (Mar 2019). The central hall of the temple. Contains the inextinguishable light of the Dharma (不減 の 法 灯), a flame that has been burning for 1200 years. There is permanently here a monk assigned to keep the fire and chant the sutras.
- 4 Kokuhoden, 4220 Sakamotohonmachi, ☎ 81 77-578-0001. 9:00-16:00. As in the main temple of Tendai Buddhism, here too there is a wide variety of works of art produced and purchased by the Enryaku-ji Temple. This museum was built to display some of the many objects belonging to the temple. The Buddhist statues are particularly interesting.
What to do
- Excursion on the paths of the mountain. A true pilgrim will ignore mechanical devices and climb the mountain, which is easy enough because it's not much more than a big hill. The traditional route, called Honzaka (本 坂), is a convenient route made up of steps from Sakamoto, but still represents 500m of elevation gain to the top. There are many other trails too, with many small temples and waterfalls along the way, but beware of the lack of signage (even in Japanese). You may see some monkeys along the way.
Shopping
Where to eat
- 1 Hiyoshi Sansō (日 吉 山 荘), ４２４４ Sakamotohonmachi, Otsu, ☎ 81 77-578-0065. 12:00-18:00. Inside the Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine is a traditional tea house in an extremely scenic river gorge, which is especially popular in the fall. The food prices are quite high (¥ 800 for soba!).
- There is a small restaurant near the Sakamoto cable car at Hiei Station.
Where stay
There is a wide range of accommodation in Sakamoto, but many visitors choose to take a day trip from Kyoto instead.
Safety
How to keep in touch
Around
Information
Detailed information on timetables and individual monuments to visit can be found in This Page.
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Mount Hiei
Commons contains images or other files on Mount Hiei
