Mount Hiei

Japan's sacred northeastern mountain above Kyoto — home to the UNESCO-listed Enryaku-ji monastery complex, reachable by cable car.

Mount Hiei rises 848 metres on the border between Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures and is one of the most spiritually significant sites in Japan. Since 788, the mountain has been home to Enryaku-ji — the founding temple of the Tendai school of Buddhism in Japan and the spiritual birthplace of many of Japan's most revered monks, including Shinran and Dogen. The vast complex of over 100 buildings was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. Today, a cable car from Kyoto makes the mountain easily accessible; visitors are rewarded with extensive forest trails, temple pavilions, and on clear days sweeping views over Kyoto and Lake Biwa.