Towering above Lake Biwa’s shores and Kyoto’s skyline, Mount Hiei has long been the beating heart of Tendai practice. When Saichō first planted his staff in its rocky soil back in 788, an entire universe of Mahāyāna teachings took root. Enryaku-ji, the sprawling temple complex halfway up the mountain, became a living laboratory where doctrines of emptiness, Buddha-nature and the Lotus Sūtra were woven into a single tapestry.

Every bent cedar and winding trail whispers of ascetic discipline. Kaihōgyō—those legendary “marathon monks”—circle the base and summit on multi‐year pilgrimages so intense they blur the line between human and bodhisattva. Their rhythmic footsteps echo the Tendai vision that practice and enlightenment are indivisible. Fire ceremonies (goma) burn away karmic obstacles, while chanting sessions reverberate through moss-clad halls, reminding every pilgrim that true awakening often arrives on the heels of sweat and perseverance.

On top of its rigorous training, Mount Hiei has served as a crossroads for Japan’s wider Buddhist world. Disciples once departed Enryaku-ji’s gates to shape Zen, Pure Land and Nichiren schools, carrying Tendai’s integrative spirit far beyond the mountain’s mists. Today, UNESCO’s World Heritage designation under the “Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto” banner underlines its global significance—and sparks renewed interest among spiritual tourists and mindfulness seekers alike.

Springtime cherry blossoms now frame ancient pagodas, while autumn’s fiery maples turn the slopes into a living painting. A budding trend in 2025 finds wellness retreats dovetailing with traditional shugyō (spiritual training), so that hikers find both fresh air and fresh insights. Even urban dwellers, starved for a digital detox, meander up to catch a dawn service, cameras in hand to capture temple lanterns glowing against the sunrise.

More than just a place of history, Mount Hiei remains a vibrant axis mundi: a reminder that Mahāyāna’s vast panorama—from emptiness to the universality of Buddha-nature—can be experienced step by step. Whether tracing the path of marathon monks or pausing at a moss-covered altar, every stone and chant carries Tendai’s message: enlightenment is always waiting just over the next ridge.