Birdwatching Event on Mount Hiei to Feature Special Cable Car Ride and Pilgrimage Route Through Sacred Temples
比叡山鉄道は6月1日（日）、公益財団法人日本野鳥の会滋賀と連携し、比叡山での早朝探鳥会を開催する。
On Sunday, June 1, Hieizan Railway will cooperate with the Shiga branch of the Wild Bird Society of Japan to host an early morning birdwatching event on Mount Hiei.
当日は通常の始発前に、坂本ケーブル（ケーブル坂本駅―ケーブル延暦寺駅）を特別運行。標高654メートルの山上からスタートし、比叡山中の仏教遺構をたどりながら、野鳥の姿と声を探すコースが用意されている。
A special early cable car service will operate before the regular timetable, transporting participants from Cable Sakamoto Station to Cable Enryakuji Station at an elevation of 654 meters. The route will pass through historic Buddhist sites while visitors observe seasonal birds.
コースは、延暦寺の総本堂である根本中堂を擁する東塔ではなく、西塔エリアの浄土院から始まり、釈迦堂（転法輪堂）、玉体杉、さらに北方の横川中堂へと進む。
Rather than following the typical East Pagoda route, the event will guide participants through the quieter Western Pagoda area, starting at Jōdo-in, passing the Shakadō (Hall of Turning the Dharma Wheel), the revered Gyokutai-sugi cedar, and continuing north toward Yokawa Chūdō.
いずれも比叡山における修行と信仰の場であり、観光ルートからは外れがちな一帯を歩く。約11キロの健脚向けコースで、解散は14時30分、坂本の日吉大社・赤鳥居（早尾地蔵）前。
These sites have long served as spaces of ascetic practice and devotion, and lie beyond the usual tourist circuit. The full 11-kilometer route is intended for experienced hikers, with the event concluding at 2:30 p.m. at the red torii gate of Hiyoshi Taisha Shrine in Sakamoto.
探鳥会は会員以外も参加可能で、初心者の参加も歓迎されている。野鳥の観察を通じて、山中の寺社空間に息づく静けさと生命の気配にふれる一日となりそうだ。
Non-members are also welcome to join, and beginners will be supported by experienced guides. Beyond birdwatching, the event offers a chance to experience the living stillness and spiritual presence of sacred temple grounds deep within the forest.
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