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Wow! A pitcher of iced tea really hits the spot after a long ride. Plain ol' Lipton's Instant Ice Tea powder, but as a cold drink, it really works!
We found the road to Mt. Hiei that we planned for this morning, and what a ride it was! We covered about 150k, and 2/3rds of that was winding mountain road to the north-east of Kyoto city.
The mountain is one of the most sacred sites in Japanese Buddhism, as it was the location of the temple of Enryaku-ji, the first Japanese outpost of Tendai sect of Buddhism, founded atop Mt. Hiei by Saichō in 788. Both Nichiren and Honen studied at the temple before leaving to start their own sects of Buddhism. The temple complex was burned down by Oda Nobunaga in 1571 to quell the rising power of the Tendai's warrior monks (sōhei), but it was rebuilt and remains the Tendai headquarters to this day. They have temples and shrines all over the mountain, with spectacular vistas at every bend of the winding road; Kyoto city on one side, and Lake Biwako on the other. I can't wait to go back in the fall with a camera and do some serious photography up there. Today was just too hot and overcast for anything other than some snaps with my phone.
Time for a third mug of Ice tea....
Stitchawl
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