Located in the mountains northeast of central Kyoto, Hieizan is a deeply revered mountain
on which Enryakuji, the head temple of the influential Tendai Buddhist sect, is built on.
Founded over 1200 years ago, Enryakuji is one of the most important temples in the history
of Japan, and today, the active mountain temple is an attractive destination for visitors
wanting to learn more about Buddhist culture.
On this trip, we will be spending two days exploring Hieizan and the vibrant tea and
sake cultures in Uji and Fushimi in southern Kyoto.
My name is Raina Ong, staff writer for japan-guide.com, and for the next two days, I’ll be visiting
Hieizan, Uji and Fushimi on an overnight trip.
Here’s the plan.
On Day One, we land at Kansai International Airport and travel by train all the way to
the foot of Mount Hieizan.
We continue on the cable car and ropeway up the mountain.
There are three separate areas of Enryakuji Temple: Yokawa, Saito and Todo.
We will take a shuttle bus to Yokawa, the northern area, and hike towards the west area
known as Saito, and the east area known as Todo to visit the attractions there.
The day ends with a stay at the temple lodging on Hieizan.
On Day Two, after participating in the morning prayers, we descend the mountain and head
to the tea town of Uji, south of Kyoto, to learn more about tea culture as well as visit
the local temples along the way.
Finally, we end the day at Kyoto’s Fushimi district with a sake experience and dinner.
So follow along as we go on a 2-day trip exploring mountains, tea and sake around Kyoto.
Day 1
After landing at the airport, we forward our suitcase to the hotel in Kyoto where we will
be staying afterwards to avoid having to carry extra luggage on this overnight trip.
Then, we take the train to our destination for the day, Hieizan.
Our hike from Yokawa to the Saito and Todo areas takes about 2 to 3 hours, including
visiting the temple buildings along the way.
This tree over here it's called the Gyokutaisugi and it's about the midway point between where we started
in Yokawa and our next destination Saito.
It's a great place for a rest and we get to enjoy great views of Kyoto on the other side.
The Shakado you can see behind me is the oldest building on the mountain.
And it houses a wooden Shaka Buddha carved by Saicho, the founder of Tendai Buddhism.
I'm going to be heading into the Konpon Chudo,
as you can see it's completely covered up but visitors are still allowed to go inside, so let's go!
One of the interesting things you're going to experience when staying at a temple lodging
is eating Buddhist cuisine which is completely vegetarian.
And that's what I'm going to do! Itadakimasu!
Day 2
Good morning, it's really cold outside
and I've gotten up early to go for morning prayers in the Konpon Chudo behind me.
Now, these prayers are only available to those who stay overnight on the mountain. So let's go!
After the morning prayers and breakfast, we descend the mountain and head towards Uji
by Keihan Railway.
Our first stop is Mampukuji Temple, the head temple of the Obaku Zen sect.
My first stop for today is Mampukuji Temple near Uji.
This temple is the headquarters of the Obaku Zen Sect which was established about 300 years ago
by a Chinese Zen master.
And as such you can see a lot of Chinese influence in the temple design.
The city of Uji is well known for its high quality green tea, and there are numerous
tea shops selling Uji tea as well as green tea products.
Our first stop is Byodoin Temple, and its grounds includes a beautiful garden with the
Phoenix Hall at its center and an excellent museum.
Next we head to Nakamura Tokichi, a shop that has been run by the same family for generations.
Uji is known for its tea and I'm here now at the Nakamura Tokichi shop in Uji
where I'm going to have the full tea experience.
Tea lunch and then desserts, and then we get to make some tea.
10 out of 5 stars! I like it!
A tea leaf grinding activity followed by a tea ceremony is offered at their main store
in Uji, with explanations provided by an English speaking tea instructor.
And that’s what I’m going to do.
Finally, we take the Keihan train from Uji to Fushimi.
Our last destination for today is the Fushimi Sakagura Kouji, a collection of eight food
stalls and a sake bar all under one roof.
This unique dining and drinking experience here allows visitors to sample sake from about
20 sake breweries and order a variety of dishes that go well with the alcohol.
Best way to end the trip!
I've come to the end of my trip and there's no better way than to end it here at the Fushimi Sakagura Koji
Now here I get to try18 different sake from the breweries and order food, like, different kinds of food
from the different food stands.
It's gonna be great and I can't wait to dig in!
And that concludes our 2-day trip to Hieizan, Uji and Fushimi.
Thanks for joining me.
I hope this video has been enjoyable and perhaps even inspires some ideas, should you decide
to plan an overnight trip from Kansai Airport.
For more information or to watch another video, click the links on the screen now or head
to japan-guide.com, your comprehensive up-to-date travel guide first hand from Japan.
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Happy travels.