Yamamichisai is coming up this weekend, and I’ve been glued to the weather forecast (lol).
Of course, I’ll be approaching this one by bike and hike again!
The first Yamamichisai was at Mt. Iwate. We headed there from Hanamaki by flying with our bikes on FDA. The second was at Mt. Ishizuchi, where we rode the Shimanami Kaido and hiked upstream from the mouth of the Yoshino River to its source.
This time, the venue is on the shores of Lake Biwa in Omi-Maiko. It’s the home base of ARE.SAUNA, which we’ve visited many times, and it’s along the west bank of Lake Biwa where Junko-san and the others and I have ridden before. It feels quite familiar, so I actually had trouble coming up with a fresh route.
Kyoto → Enryaku-ji → Lake Biwa
With a clear mind, I asked myself, "Do I really need to stick to a hardcore ride like the previous BIKEto Yamamichisai?" As I looked at the map again, a route that perfectly fits my current mood came into view. (I’ll still have to carry the bike, though.)
So, I’ve decided to aim for the festival from further south in the Hira Mountains, starting around Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt. Hiei.
Personally, I’m a fan of Kukai, so I always visit Mt. Koya, but I’ve always felt like I was missing something by never having visited Enryaku-ji, founded by Saicho—the other superstar of Heian Buddhism. In basketball terms, it’s like Kobe and Shaq; in F1, it’s like Senna and Prost. (Is that right?) Anyway, I’m going to pay my respects.
I expect there will be many visitors this time of year, so I’ll take it slow and stay safe.
Four others from Circles are also planning to participate, each in their own way.
If anyone else is biking or hiking to the event, please share your journey using the tag #BIKEtoYamamichisai. And of course, don’t forget the #Let’sGoYamamichisai tag too.
See you there!
Yamamichisai 2024
https://www.yamatomichi.com/yamamichisai2024