Day Ten - Mount Hiei.
Jul. 31st, 2009 02:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sechan19Despite a late night (under my courageous leadership seven individuals broke curfew the night before to stay up watching Nakata Hideo's Ringu), I was up early for my trip to nearby Mount Hiei - the so-called birthplace of Japanese Buddhism and center of the Tendai Buddhist sect.
Departure from my hostel at a quarter after eight put me on the summit of Mount Hiei at just a little bit before ten. (The trip included a walk, a subway ride, an electric train ride, a cable car ride, and a ropeway ride. Weee!) From there, I began the trek down through the gloriously verdant and deliciously cool mountains. I quickly went off the beaten track onto the trails and wound my way down rocky mountain pathways until I reached the entrance of Enryakuji, Mount Hiei's main temple complex, which is divided into three parts - the Toto, Saito, and Yokawa. (Literally: eastern pagoda, western pagoda, and nearby river, respectively.)
I explored the Toto first - rambling past the numerous halls and belfries until I reached the Treasure Hall. There I went inside and examined some of the gems of Tendai Buddhist art. Like many other temples in the Kyoto area, they have a very fine collection of Buddhist statues.
I ate lunch in a quick stop udon shop located nearby and then continued on. I visited the main hall of the Toto, where I lit incense for my Uncle John, and betook myself off to the Saito. The halls of the Saito - which include a Shaka Hall that will live in infamy (at least for me) - were located quite a bit further down the mountain, so I hiked my way down there and wandered around a bit more. I purchased an amulet against illness for a very close friend of the family, and spoke with the Buddhist nun there about the situation. She was a very kind and close listener.
After my adventure at the Shaka Hall (see previous entry), I hiked around a bit more and then made my way around to the Lake Biwa side of the mountain. The views from the cable car down were spectacular. Supposedly, the Sakamoto Cable Car on Mount Hiei is the longest in all of Japan.
At the bottom of the hill, I followed the signs for the JR station - which turned out to be huge mistake as they were apparently pointed in the wrong direction. I quickly found myself lost, so I ducked into a pharmacy and asked the way. (Big progress for me, really. Ten years ago I would have wandered around getting more and more lost and upset rather than just ask somewhere where I was.) The people in the pharmacy were extremely helpful; they sat me down, gave me a glass of water, and printed out a map for me. And it was another chance for me to practice my survival Japanese.
When I got back to the hostel, I made arrangements for a new phone and then packed it in early. I was beat. I still am beat, so I'm going to save the recap of today's events for another time. And I apologize for the dryness of this post. Doing big walking tours back to back is a bad idea.
Departure from my hostel at a quarter after eight put me on the summit of Mount Hiei at just a little bit before ten. (The trip included a walk, a subway ride, an electric train ride, a cable car ride, and a ropeway ride. Weee!) From there, I began the trek down through the gloriously verdant and deliciously cool mountains. I quickly went off the beaten track onto the trails and wound my way down rocky mountain pathways until I reached the entrance of Enryakuji, Mount Hiei's main temple complex, which is divided into three parts - the Toto, Saito, and Yokawa. (Literally: eastern pagoda, western pagoda, and nearby river, respectively.)
I explored the Toto first - rambling past the numerous halls and belfries until I reached the Treasure Hall. There I went inside and examined some of the gems of Tendai Buddhist art. Like many other temples in the Kyoto area, they have a very fine collection of Buddhist statues.
I ate lunch in a quick stop udon shop located nearby and then continued on. I visited the main hall of the Toto, where I lit incense for my Uncle John, and betook myself off to the Saito. The halls of the Saito - which include a Shaka Hall that will live in infamy (at least for me) - were located quite a bit further down the mountain, so I hiked my way down there and wandered around a bit more. I purchased an amulet against illness for a very close friend of the family, and spoke with the Buddhist nun there about the situation. She was a very kind and close listener.
After my adventure at the Shaka Hall (see previous entry), I hiked around a bit more and then made my way around to the Lake Biwa side of the mountain. The views from the cable car down were spectacular. Supposedly, the Sakamoto Cable Car on Mount Hiei is the longest in all of Japan.
At the bottom of the hill, I followed the signs for the JR station - which turned out to be huge mistake as they were apparently pointed in the wrong direction. I quickly found myself lost, so I ducked into a pharmacy and asked the way. (Big progress for me, really. Ten years ago I would have wandered around getting more and more lost and upset rather than just ask somewhere where I was.) The people in the pharmacy were extremely helpful; they sat me down, gave me a glass of water, and printed out a map for me. And it was another chance for me to practice my survival Japanese.
When I got back to the hostel, I made arrangements for a new phone and then packed it in early. I was beat. I still am beat, so I'm going to save the recap of today's events for another time. And I apologize for the dryness of this post. Doing big walking tours back to back is a bad idea.
