Report on Waterfall Meditation practice at Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall on 18 May 2026

 

Our guest was a British gentleman from Manchester, UK.

In front of Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall

One of his plans on his 12-day trip to Japan was to experience a waterfall meditation practice at Mt. Takao that has long been revered as a sacred mountain of Shugendo.

Shugendo emphasizes the denial of physical and psychological desires to attain the spiritual ideal through rigorous physical and mental training in nature confining oneself in mountains. 

It was a sunny day with the peak temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, which should be helpful for the waterfall meditation practitioner.

Looks like this is his 7^th or 8^th visit to Japan.

He claimed that he has some understanding of Shugendo as he believes that it has some links to the martial arts he practices.

Key practices of Shugendo include long distance trekking on mountain trails, waterfall meditation, Goma fire ritual, cliff-hanging meditation, etc. 

While cliff-hanging is a traditional, extreme practice for overcoming fear, Mt. Takao focuses specifically on waterfall meditation at sites like Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall and Ja-taki Seiryu-do Hall.

We met up just outside the ticket gate of Takaosanguchi Station around 10:00 am so that we can have enough time to be in time for the waterfall meditation practice staring at 11:00 am at Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall.

On the way, I gave him a rough picture of Shugendo practices, the history of Mt. Takao, etc.

We arrived at the temple office of Yakuo-in Temple adjacent to the Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall before 11:00 am.

Our guest paid JPY3,000 in cash as an instruction for the waterfall meditation practice.

After he borrowed training robe (including a sash) in his size, he changed into it waiting for the Shugendo master in the break room.

In the training white robe

The number of his ascetic fellows on that day was 25 out of which over two-thirds were female.

The master’s speech (Buddhist sermon) started at 11:00 am and lasted for 30 minutes. He admitted that he had got carried away and talked longer than usual.

For my guest, I summarized the master’s message that the practitioner should not work too hard not to die so that he can survive to realize that experiencing the extraordinary helps him appreciate his everyday life.

Then, after the 10 minute’s break, a waterfall meditation practice started which involved a complicated flow of actions. 

So, practitioners need to follow the instructions of an experienced instructor (i.e., the master) to get through the complicated process.

That is, before entering the waterfall, practitioners purify the surroundings and themselves with salt and water. They pay respect to Fudo Myo-o (Immovable Wisdom King) enshrined at Biwa-taki Fudo-do Hall, offer incense sticks, candles and, form three (3) different mudras (hand gestures) depending on different occasions, and chant mantras before facing the waterfall.

Pray for safety and success in the waterfall meditation

 

Overall, our guest did a great job which may be partly thanks to his own preparation in advance. 

Ready to sit under the waterfall

 

He finished his waterfall meditation practice around 1:00 pm.

We came back to the cable car “Kiyotaki Station” area at 1:30 pm, which was the end of the tour.

I hope that he has realized that experiencing the extraordinary (waterfall meditation) helps him appreciate his everyday life.

Dated: 20 May 2026

Written by: Shiro

Private tour on May 11th, 2026.

 

Today we were blessed with unbelievably beautiful weather and crystal-clear skies — perfect for a hike on Mount Takao with a wonderful couple visiting from Connecticut, USA.

 They arrived even before our meeting time, and since it was a weekday, the mountain was pleasantly quieter than usual. After picking up lunch and drinks at the Seven-Eleven kiosk near Takaosanguchi Station, we started our adventure right away.

　(at the cable car station)

 

We took the cable car up the mountain and stopped at the Kasumidai Observation Deck, Monkey Park, the famous Octopus Cedar, and Joshinmon Gate before continuing along the Otokozaka.

(peaceful mountain trail)

(at the otokozaka)

 

Since they had already visited the Tokyo Imperial Palace and Meiji Shrine earlier in their trip, they already had some basic knowledge of Shinto. That allowed us to have some enjoyable conversations along the trail about the differences between Shinto and Buddhism. One highlight for them seemed to be the goma fire ritual inside Takao-san Yakuo-in, which they watched with great interest.

(at Four Heavenly King Gate)

(in front of the Gongendo Hall)

 

At the summit, we saw a few groups of elementary school students on school excursions, but overall, the mountain felt surprisingly uncrowded for Takao.

 

(at the summit)

Unfortunately, Mount Fuji remained hidden behind the clouds today, but we still enjoyed lunch at my usual “secret spot.”

(at the secret spot for lunch)

 

For the way down, we took Trail No. 4 and crossed the suspension bridge. Everything worked out perfectly — no waiting time for the chairlift, smooth hiking conditions all day, and we even finished the tour about an hour earlier than planned.

(at the suspension bridge)

(at the cable car station)

 

It was their first trip to Japan, and they told me they’ll be spending about two weeks traveling around the country after Tokyo, visiting places such as Hakone, Kyoto, and Hiroshima. I’m truly grateful they chose Mount Takao as part of their Japan journey.

 Wishing them a wonderful, safe, and memorable adventure for the rest of their time in Japan!

 

By Shin

 

Report on TENGU Tour held on 9 May 2026

 

Our guests were a group of twenty-four (24) students from overseas studying at Tokyo Metropolitan University and their teacher who led her students. 

 TENGU guides included Comson, Bob, Nao, Masa, Rico, Yoko, Satomi and Shiro (myself).

In front of Takaosanguchi Station

 

Our guests were divided into four (4) groups (i.e., Group A, Group B, Group C and Group D).  Two (2) TENGU guides were allocated to each group. 

 Group A led by myself took an easiest route by taking a cable car on the way while each of the other three (3) groups took a little more challenging route without taking a cable car.

 The weather was reasonably good so that Group A managed to see high-rise buildings in Shinjuku and Tokyo Skytree from Sumika-mae Observation Deck and all the groups were able to see a graceful figure of Mt. Fuji from the peak of Mt. Takao.

At Sumika-mae Observation Deck

With a graceful figure of Mt. Fuji viewed from the summit in the background

Thanks to the earlier departure, Groups A and B had enough time to cover many of the landmarks and sight-seeing spots at Mt. Takao along Trail 1 before they got to the peak of the mountain.

 

In front of the life-sized statue of Japanese Giant Flying Squirrel

 

On the other hand, Groups C and D spent more time in feeling the rich nature of Mt. Takao following Trail 6 characterized by a scenic streamside narrower natural mountain trail.

Water meditation training site of Biwataki Falls

 

On Biwataki Falls Trail

Crossing a wooden bridge on Trail 6

Ascending a mountain stream along Trail 6

At Kasumi-dai Observation Deck

Touching the statue of Lucky Octopus for diving blessings

Around Joshin-mon tri-i gate (Gate of Purified Heart)

Just before going through the Gate of Getting out of Sufferings and the Path of Three Mysteries

With photogenic guests in front of photogenic white Thai style stupa at Yuki-en (Joyful Garden)

In front of the list of contributors to Yakuo-in Temple

In front of Shitenno-mon (Gate of Four (4) Heavenly Kings)

Let’s purify ourselves before praying at the purification basin.

Let’s become rich by washing your money at the sacred water basin

Happy to get a Goshu-in (a red stamp with calligraphy) on Goshuin-cho

In front of Izuna Gongen-do Hall

 

Groups A and B eventually got to the peak of Mt. Takao around 12:30 while Groups C and D got there much earlier at 11:15 to 11:30.

 After taking lunch, we took a group photo getting all the participants in the tour together at the peak of the mountain.

At the peak of Mt. Takao

With Mt. Fuji in the background

 

All the groups left the peak of the mountain around 13:00.

On the way back, both Groups A and B followed Trail No. 4 featuring a suspension bridge while some took a cable car or chairlift and others followed Trail 1 on foot. 

At a suspension bridge on Trail 4

 

Groups B and C followed Inariyama Trail.

Taking a short break on Inariyama Trail

At the end of the tour, we took group photos getting all the participants together again in front of the cable car Kiyotaki Station.

 Our tour ended around 14:40.

In front of Kiyotaki Station

 

I understand that from the perspective of students the tour was effectively a field-work for their study and that they are subject to the reporting requirements.

 I wish our young guests best of luck!

 Dated:  14 May 2026

 Written by Shiro

 

 

JICA tour held on 2nd May, 2026. Mt.Fuji smiled at us.

 

We welcomed 7 people from Libya, Egypt, Indonesia, Myanmar, Madagascar.

Despite the bad weather the day before, we enjoyed the spring tour in the fresh air.

We could see Mt.Fuji clearly from the top of the mountain.

We enjoyed lunch time chatting. Some guests bring their own lunchbox. It looks so delicious.

Thank you all for joining our tour! Enjoy the rest of your study in Japan.

Arigato. Shukran شكراً. Misaotra. Terima kasih. Cezuba ကျေးဇူးပါ.

Written by Ken

Private tour on April 28th, 2026

 It turned out to be a wonderful day—completely different from the previous day’s rain—and perfect weather for excursions and fieldwork for the students.

At 9:30 a.m., 22 students and 3 teachers from the Canadian International School were welcomed in front of Takaosanguchi Station by 9 TENGU staff members. While one teacher went ahead to Kiyotaki Station to purchase cable car tickets in bulk, the students were divided into three groups according to the school’s pre-arranged plan. Each student was given a simple sticker name tag, and after a brief orientation, the groups made their way to Kiyotaki Station.

The area in front of Kiyotaki Station was extremely crowded with what appeared to be elementary school excursion groups. Navigating through the crowd, we provided explanations about the Osouji Kozō statue, basic tour rules, and the flying squirrel statue. After that, Group A took the chairlift, while Groups B and C took the cable car.

By around 10:20 a.m., all groups had disembarked and begun their tours. The route followed Trail No. 1, passing through Yūki-en and Yakuō-in Temple. Along the way, we included fun activities such as a snack break at Gongen-Chaya and trying fortune slips (omikuji) in the temple grounds. With these enjoyable elements, we reached the summit around noon.

The summit was crowded with groups of kindergarten and elementary school students on excursions, so participants had lunch individually. At 1:00 p.m., everyone reassembled at the summit. After taking a group photo, we began the descent in groups again, this time via Trail No. 4 and its suspension bridge.

We regrouped in front of Kiyotaki Station at around 2:30 p.m., where the tour concluded and participants were dismissed.

Thank you very much to the teachers for all their support. Everyone at TENGU had a great time spending the day with the students, and we were delighted to share this experience with them.

Written by Shin

Private Tour on April 27,2026

 Today’s guests were eight people from Italy.They were six nice guys and two lovely ladies.Two days ago, they arrived in Japan. They met for the first time on this trip and are traveling in Japan together.

In front of Kiyotaki Cable car station

According to the weather forecast, it would rain in the morning.

So, the starting time of the tour has been changed from 9:30 to 13:00.

When we met our guests, the rain had stopped and the weather was getting  better. However, because of this uncertain weather, there were almost no people in front of the station.

In the cable car

In the cable car

After exchanging greetings and buying lunch at the store, the tour began.

As usual, we took the cable car and reached the upper station,which is located in the middle of the mountain. Then, it started to rain again.

They have borrowed rental umbrellas, as we asked them to bring rain gear.

On the trail no.1

At the gate of “getting out of suffering “

Despite the rainy weather, they seemed to enjoy the tour while using umbrellas. It was a happy thing for us.

 

In the Yuki-en

In front of the Gongen-do

As it’s been raining, we decided to stop the tour at the Gongen-do.

While taking a short break and having a late lunch,we enjoyed talking about Japanese food.

Then we started to go down the mountain.

We were back to the foot about 16:10.

Although it was raining during the tour, we had a great time!

Many thanks to everyone of today’s guests.

Enjoy your stay in Japan!

 

 

By Sally

April 28,2026