Mount Hiei

比叡山　

2012

Mount Hiei rises in the northeast of the Kyōto. It isn't majestic, but it's very impressive and by far the highest peak in the low mountains surrounding the city.  Its lofty peak stands out like a surveyors landmark.

The problem is that Hie's summit has been defiled by the crass tourist industry. It's been developed as a small Disny-style  theme park with a faux French theme.  The lower heights of the mountain have maintained integrity thanks to  Enryakuji, one of Japan's most ancient Buddhist temples. a Tendai sect complex of temples that sprawls over the back of the mountain. Dating back to the 9th century Heian Era, Enryakuji is famous for its warrior monks, who battled agains rival sects. More recently it's become famous for its association with organized crime, performing rites for bosses in the  the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's most powerful Yakuza family.

Mount Hei dominates the eastern horizon

The traditional way of getting to mid-mountain and Enryakuji is to take a charming little train along the Takanogawa River from Demachi Yanagi to Yase (a formerly rustic village where I once lived). From Yase you take a vintage funicular that lurches up the northern slope, then change to a vintage gondola (ominously called the "ropeway""), which sways up the hill. At the terminus you can take a bus to the Francophiled summit or find the trailhead that leads down to a network of trails connecting to Enryakuji.

The trail to Enryakuji