Date visited: September 23, 2026 (Wednesday, national holiday) — Sunny
By the time I came down from Mount Hiei, it was already late afternoon.
Time to head home?
No, I’m still walking.
It was my first time exploring Mount Hiei.
After visiting Todo, Saito, and Yokawa, I headed down to Sakamoto.
But my journey wasn’t over yet.
Now it was time to explore Sakamoto on foot.
This is the route I followed that day.
The first half took me around Mount Hiei.
The second half brought me to Sakamoto.
And the day’s journey continued.
First, Mount Hiei
I started the day by taking the Sakamoto Cable Car up Mount Hiei.
I walked from Todo to Saito, then took the mountain shuttle bus to Yokawa.
On the way back, I needed to catch the 3:30 p.m. cable car.
Which meant I ended up running through the mountain forest.
You can read about that adventure here.
👉【Part 1 | 🚉Stopover Journey| My First Visit to Mount Hiei: You Still Walk This Much After Taking the Cable Car? 】
And then, at 3:30 p.m.,
I began my descent to Sakamoto.
This Time, I Got a Seat
The cable car had been crowded on the way up, and I’d had to stand.
On the way down, I got a seat.
What a relief.
Standing on the way up, sitting on the way down.
Of course, the descent was more comfortable.
But the more exciting ride was the one going up,
when I had no idea what was waiting for me.
Even after coming down the mountain, I wasn’t heading home.
My next destination was
Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine.
Hiyoshi Taisha in the Late Afternoon
From Cable Sakamoto Station, I headed toward Hiyoshi Taisha.
(🌐 Official website: Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine)
It was already late afternoon.
At the entrance, I was told that some of the buildings would soon be closing.
But I could still go in.
So, off I went.
As I walked around the shrine grounds,
the lanterns gradually began to light up.
I’d been walking since morning.
And now, little by little, the scenery was changing with the approaching evening.
Wait, A Real Monkey?
As I walked through the shrine grounds,
I spotted a monkey.
What?
A real one?
I hadn’t expected to encounter a real monkey at a shrine.
That was a surprise.
Later, when I looked it up, I learned that monkeys are regarded here as messengers of the gods.
They are known as Masaru, the sacred monkeys.
At the time, all I thought was,
“There’s a monkey!”
Only afterward did I realize,
So that monkey had a special meaning, too.
Another little question mark I’d picked up along the journey finally found its answer.
I’m Still Going
I left Hiyoshi Taisha.
It was already late afternoon.
Probably a good time to head toward the station.
But—
I had one more place to visit.
My destination was
Saikyoji Temple.
More walking.
Is This Saikyoji?
I follow Google Maps,
walking toward Saikyoji.
I should be almost there.
Then,
a large building comes into view ahead.
And—
there’s a huge figure.
…?
As I get closer, I see the words:
“Netflix Series IKUSAGAMI — Filming Location: Saikyoji.”
What?
Is this Saikyoji?
What is that?
A Netflix filming location?
Question marks are flying around in my head.
And then, one more question.
Can I still get in?
Will I Make It to Saikyoji in Time?
(🌐 Official website: Saikyoji Temple Visitor Guide)
It was already past 4:30 p.m.
when I arrived at Saikyoji.
Pretty late.
I asked if I could still visit,
and was kindly told that I could look around until about 5 p.m.
Thank you.
There isn’t much time.
I head into the temple grounds.
Akechi Mitsuhide? Here?
As I explored Saikyoji Temple,
a name caught my attention.
Akechi Mitsuhide.
Wait a minute.
Wasn’t I supposed to be visiting Mount Hiei today?
I’d walked around Mount Hiei,
descended to Sakamoto,
visited Hiyoshi Taisha,
and now, at Saikyoji Temple,
I was encountering Akechi Mitsuhide.
When I researched the places after my trip,
Mount Hiei, Sakamoto, Hiyoshi Taisha, and Saikyoji Temple—
I began to see historical connections between places that had seemed separate.
I hadn’t set out to follow a historical trail.
I simply kept walking,
and history caught up with me afterward.
And What Is “Ikusagami”?
As I walk around the temple grounds,
I find another sign for “Ikusagami.”
Come to think of it,
the huge figure I saw at the entrance also said:
“Netflix Series IKUSAGAMI — Filming Location: Saikyoji.”
…Ikusagami?
When I looked it up after returning home,
I discovered it was a Netflix series.
I don’t have Netflix,
so I’ll watch the trailer on YouTube.
Finding something unexpected while traveling,
then looking it up again after coming home.
That’s how the journey keeps going, little by little.
I Thought I Was Traveling in Kyoto…
Actually, throughout the day,
I’d been thinking of this as
another chapter of my Kyoto travels.
On an earlier visit to Yase, Mount Hiei had caught my attention.
That curiosity eventually led to this trip.
But when I opened My Maps to prepare the article,
I noticed something.
Wait…
Mount Hiei stretches across Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures.
The Sakamoto side, where I’d gone up and down the mountain,
is in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture.
And Enryakuji Temple on Mount Hiei is also located in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture.
…
So I’d been traveling in Shiga Prefecture!
I only realized it
after the journey was over.
Still Walking. A Lot.
I’d walked around Mount Hiei,
descended to Sakamoto,
visited Hiyoshi Taisha,
and continued all the way to Saikyoji Temple.
That was already quite a lot of walking.
But my step count for the day
wasn’t finished climbing yet.
I Was Supposed to Head Home Now…
All that remained was to have dinner
and catch a train home.
Surely there would be somewhere to eat near Hieizan-Sakamoto Station.
That’s what I thought.
But then—
I couldn’t find anywhere to have dinner.
And when I finally found a restaurant and stepped inside?
…
Well, what now?
One last little adventure was waiting for me at the end of the day.
👉【🍵Beauty & Taste| Lost at Dinner Again in Hieizan-Sakamoto — Saved by Chinese Food】
👉 Related illustrations here
(Free to use)
▶︎ 🎨View illustration page