After fifteen years as an Asia traveller and travel planning expert, I’ve lost count of how many times people tell me their fear of getting ‘templed out’! Well here is a day out north of Kyoto which always successfully restores one’s interest….
Enryaku-ji temple and shrine complex atop Mt Hiei is reached by Japan’s longest cable car ride, the sense of adventure building as Kyoto and the hordes recede away. Established by Kobo Daishi a millennia ago, it remains a highly atmospheric living, breathing base of spirituality encircled by forested walks.
Old stone Japanese lanterns line the forested pathways, which are pleasant and cool in spring and summer but particularly beauitiful when the momiji (maple leaves) strew the ground in autumn. The sense of discovering something hidden is palpable here, the limited access putting it beyond fhe scope of big tour bus groups and suchlike.
A set of Buddhist temples and monasteries are scattered around the Kompon Chudo main hall (note that this one is closed for renovation). The wonderful thing about Enryaku-ji though is when you turn a corner and suddenly you’re under the bright vermillion red-and white main gate of the Shinto area of the complex.
There are other spots in Japan where the two coexist – Nara Park south of Kyoto and Yamadera in the northern mountains are other favourites – but it’s rare. The experience, for me, is comparable to visiting the famous cathedral at Cordoba in southern Spain only to find the interior is Islamic. Head filled with architectural beauty, an afternoon of shinrinyoku (forest bathing) and a view of sparkling Lake Biwa before a second cable car down the mountain make this an unmissable experience even for the most templed-out types!
JapanMan 