Got invited by a friend to Enryakuji for the New Year.
Pros: amazake is free
Cons: useless taxi app is useless
The most impressive parts of the experience were
a) my friend's ability to convince people to give lifts to strangers, at night
b) the locals' willingness to give lifts to strangers, at night
Interestingly, the family that helped us out says they come to Enryakuji every year. I wanted to ask if they actually practice Tendai, but it felt like a rude question. Judging by the look of the audience during the Oni-chasing Ceremony, most people were there to take pictures, like me.
I'm afraid I sound very negative, but this was not the worst way to meet the New Year, by far. My friend stayed on the mountain to wait for sunrise, and I went on to stand for an hour and a half in a queue to Yasaka to see that at 3am not much is going on.
Pros: you are not afraid of getting stuck in the mountains until morning
Cons: amazake costs 500 yen; useless taxi app is useless
So, how did everybody spend the first night of the year? Any recommended spots that are not as remote as Hieizan or as crowded as Yasaka?
by kumikoneko