What other travelers are saying about Enryaku-ji Temple (Mount Hiei)
A fantastic place where this temple sits on Mount Hiei , a quite and beautiful place to worship God. The east temple is accessible via the cable car from Otsu city.
Buy the package ticket because it definitely will save you a lot . It covers transportation from Kyoto, cable car, entrance to the temple and the bus around Mt. Hiei.
There are 3 temples which you need to take the bus to get there. one trip is not cheap. End to end costs you 800 yen , so package ticket is useful here.
Hidden gem of a temple at the top of Mt Hiei. Very historic temple at the top with many Japanese locals visiting. Also a great view of Lake Biwa and the surrounding towns. To get to the temple, take the Sakamoto cable car up (Japan's longest cable car!)
I went here after exploring Hiei Garden Museum. It rained so hard while I was riding the bus going to this temple, so I decided to buy souvenirs first. After the weather calmed down, I started touring around the temple. There is an admission fee of ￥1,000 to enter Enryaku-ji.
There is a lot to see here, plus they also have shops, restaurants, a museum, and they also have a hotel inside the temple grounds.
By the way, there is also an ongoing stamp rally here and if you collect 8 or 12 stamps, you can redeem it for cool prizes. Check their website for information and future events around the area.
You can reach Enryaku-ji either by car, bus, or cable car (Sakamoto Cable). The temple is also majical during rainy days, however if you don't want a hassle trip, then I suggest checking if the weather is good.
The main hall is still in maintenance. You can get in but it hasn't much charm (and you cannot take pictures).
Still, I would definitely recommend the hike and enjoy the place as a whole :).
