A small train into the cedar mountains, a temple where a legendary warrior trained with the long-nosed tengu, a ridge path over a lattice of exposed roots, and a hamlet where restaurants sit on platforms above the stream.
Half an hour on the Eizan railway's little train from Demachiyanagi, and Kyoto's suburbs give way to steep valleys of cedar. This is the classic short hike out of the city.
Kurama-dera climbs the mountainside above Kurama village, a temple of vermilion gates, lanterns and halls. Legend says the young Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the great warrior of the Heike wars, learned swordsmanship here from Sōjōbō, king of the tengu. Above the main hall the path crosses Ki-no-ne-michi, a stretch where cedar roots lie across the bare ground like a net, and passes small halls deep in the forest.
The trail then drops steeply to Kibune, a narrow hamlet along a stream with a shrine to the water god, its stone steps lined with red lanterns. In summer restaurants build kawadoko, platforms over the river, for cool dinners. Kibune's fireflies in late June and maples in November are two of the city's quieter spectacles.
Walk it this way round: the climb from Kurama is gentler, and you finish with dinner by the water.
A giant tengu mask greets you at the station. Walk up the village street to the Niō-mon gate and pay the entry fee.
Climb the zigzag path past Yuki shrine and its ancient cedars, or ride the short cable car if you want to save the first climb.
A courtyard with a view down the valley and a star mosaic in the paving, a focus for visitors who come for the mountain's energy.
Through the inner forest over a mat of cedar roots, past the hall where Yoshitsune is said to have trained, to Maō-den in the deepest woods.
Steep steps drop to the west gate and Kibune. Visit the lantern-lined shrine, eat by the stream, then walk or take the bus down to Kibune-guchi station.
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Keihan line to Demachiyanagi, then the Eizan railway's Kurama line to Kurama, about 30 minutes. Some cars have panoramic windows, and in November the line runs through a tunnel of maples near Ichihara.
Kawadoko river platforms run from May to September; meals are a splurge, and bookings are wise. A bus links the hamlet to Kibune-guchi station.
Start by 10am to have the forest to yourself; leave Kibune for the late afternoon and evening.
Kyoto practical notes →
Through the gates to the top and down to Tōfuku-ji.
A city view from the fire hill and a canal walk.
The monks' mountain above the city.
Macaques and a river trail.
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Mountain temples and early maples.
Wikimedia Commons photographs are used under their licences; Pexels photographs under the Pexels licence.
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