Kyoto & Shiga · Kyoto, the northern mountains

Kurama and Kibune: a walk on the tengu's mountain, the water shrine, and a meal above the stream

An hour from Kyoto on a small train and you are in a cedar forest: a mountain temple where, according to legend, the samurai Yoshitsune learned from the demons, an hour-and-a-half trail over the mountain, a shrine with fortune slips that dissolve in water, and in summer a meal on platforms above the stream.

A day in the mountains north of Kyoto. The small Eizan train climbs from Demachiyanagi to the village of Kurama, from there you walk up the mountain to Kurama-dera, and continue on a forest trail of cedar roots to the valley beyond, to the village of Kibune. In Kibune you walk up the stream: the shrine of the water god, then lunch above the water, and from there you go down in one go to the station. In the afternoon you return to the city, to Shimogamo Shrine in the Tadasu forest and to dinner on the neighborhood's shopping street. About 6 km on foot, about half of it up and down on a dirt trail. A day pass does not pay off: two rides on the Eizan train are ¥940, and its day pass is ¥1,200.

Verified online, October 20267 stops · 08:30 to 18:30¥6,670 · ≈ $42 per personWalking between stops: 52 min · Transport: ¥670Nature walkNot in heavy rainSummer: a meal above the stream

The day on a map

6 stops, in order

Stops: 6
Walking minutes: 28

Stop number on the timelineWalkingTrain, metro or busBase map: © OpenStreetMap

Open this day in Google Maps

The same stops with the same numbers, and the way from stop to stop. On a phone it opens in the app, and that is what you navigate with in Japan. Pin names on the map are in Hebrew.

Getting there: From Demachiyanagi Station, the end of the Keihan Line: the Eizan train to Kurama, 31 minutes, ¥470. On a weekday morning trains to Kurama leave at 08:24 and 08:45, and between 08:45 and 09:45 every quarter of an hour. Not every train goes to Kurama: some run to Yase-Hieizanguchi and some only as far as Ichihara, so board a train marked 鞍馬. The 'Kirara' panoramic car, with its big windows, runs on only some of the trips. You reach Demachiyanagi from Gion-Shijo on the Keihan Line, 6 minutes, ¥240; from Kyoto Station on city bus 7, 27 minutes, ¥230, or on JR to Tofukuji and from there on the Keihan Line, 20 minutes, ¥450 in total. You return from Kibuneguchi Station on the same line.

08:3009:15
TrainMust
Eizan train to Kurama: the window car
You start on a two-car train that heads into the forest. Between Ichihara and Ninose it passes through a tunnel of maple trees, lit at night in autumn foliage season. At Kurama Station a giant tengu head is waiting, the forest demon with the long nose. There are toilets at the station, and fewer later in the day.
¥470 · ≈ $3Open in Maps
Up to the temple gate
- Walk · 3 minFrom the station about 3 minutes on foot, according to the temple, to the main gate, the Nio-mon.
09:1510:45
Stop 1Temple and mountainMust
Kurama-dera: the temple where Yoshitsune learned to fight
You pay ¥500 at the gate, and entry is free up to junior high school age. From there you climb about 20 minutes, according to the temple, on the winding path with the red lanterns, or take the temple's small cable car, ¥200, 2 minutes plus about 10 minutes of walking. At the top, on the plaza in front of the main hall, there is a cosmic triangle in the floor that you stand on for luck. On 22 October, from 18:00 until after midnight, the village goes up in torch fire: the Kurama Fire Festival, at Yuki Shrine on the way up. On that day the road to Kurama is closed to cars from 15:00, and the train back in the evening is crowded. From the main hall the day continues on foot over the mountain.
¥500 · ≈ $3Open in Maps About this place
Onto the mountain trail
- Walk · 2 minFrom the main hall the trail continues up the mountain, toward the Maoden hall.
10:4512:00
Stop 2WalkMust
The trail over the mountain to Kibune: the cedar roots
A trail of about 1.5 km through the forest. According to the temple, about 30 minutes from the main hall to the Maoden hall and about 20 more minutes to the west gate and Kibune. On the way, exposed cedar roots cover the trail, the Ki-no-ne-michi, and there is a small shrine where, according to legend, the demons trained Yoshitsune. The Maoden hall is the high point, and from there you descend to Kibune on the other side of the mountain. Closed shoes and water. In rain the trail is slippery, and sometimes closed. Suitable for children from age 7.
FreeOpen in Maps
Into Kifune Shrine
- Walk · 3 minFrom the west gate of Kurama-dera cross the stream to the Kibune road, and walk about 100 meters up along the stream to the steps of the main shrine.
12:0512:45
Stop 3Shinto shrineMust
Kifune Shrine: the water god and the fortune slips that dissolve
The shrine of the water god, with the staircase lined with red lanterns, the photo of Kibune. Entry is free. Buy a blank fortune slip, ¥200, lay it on the water, and the writing appears. From here you continue up the stream. The inner shrine, Okumiya, is about 10 minutes on foot from here, a few minutes past lunch, and completely quiet. Next to it is Hyoue Cafe, of the Hyoue ryokan, which moves to a platform above the stream from May to September, and coffee or matcha there is from ¥770, 11:00 to 16:00.
¥200 · ≈ $1Open in Maps About this place
Up to lunch
- Walk · 8 minUp the road along the stream, about 450 meters, to Hirobun and the restaurants next to it.
On the way you can stop at:
Yui-no-yashiro: The middle one of the three Kifune shrines, where people pray for love and marriage. According to tradition, the poet Izumi Shikibu prayed here when her husband grew distant from her, and her prayer was answered.
12:5514:15
Stop 4LunchRecommended
Lunch break in Kibune
From May to the end of September the restaurants in Kibune build tatami platforms above the cold stream, kawadoko, and the air is 10 degrees cooler than in Kyoto. The rest of the year you eat indoors, along the road up the stream. The options by season:
- Hirobun: nagashi-somen on the stream¥2,000
  Only from May to the end of September: noodles that flow down a bamboo pipe and you catch them with chopsticks. No reservations: you register on arrival, pay in cash and get a number. Registration in May, June and September is 10:30 to 15:00, and in July and August only until 12:00, so in those months you come here before the mountain. Not in rain, or when the stream is high. Kaiseki on the platform from ¥10,890, booked ahead.
- Torii-jayaFrom ¥1,900
  A tea house near the approach path to the shrine, open all year. The dish it is known for is ayu-chazuke: ayu fish grilled and then simmered a whole day with sansho pepper, on rice with tea. In winter also yudofu. Closed on Tuesdays and on other, irregular days.
- Denbe¥1,000 to ¥2,000
  Homestyle soba, hot or cold. No reservations, and it closes when the noodles run out. 11:00 to 17:00, closed on Thursdays. Cash only.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
¥4,000 · ≈ $25Book ahead for kaiseki; for nagashi-somen there is a queueOpen in Maps
Back to the city, to Shimogamo
- Train · 60 min · ¥670Walk about 10 minutes down the road along the stream, past the main shrine, to the Kibune bus stop, and take Kyoto Bus route 33 to Eizan-Kibuneguchi-Ekimae, 4 minutes, ¥200. From there the Eizan train to Demachiyanagi, 29 minutes, ¥470, plus about 11 minutes on foot north, into the Tadasu forest and up to the shrine.
- or: Train · 75 min · ¥470Without the bus: walk down along the stream to Kibuneguchi Station, about 2.5 km and 30 minutes, and from there take the same train and the same walk.
On the way you can stop at:
Kifune Club: A roomy cafe on the road, with cakes and also kamameshi, rice in a small pot, and no credit cards. 11:00 to 16:00, with irregular closing days.
15:2016:45
Stop 5Shinto shrineRecommended
Shimogamo Shrine and the Tadasu forest
Shimogamo Shrine stands in an ancient forest, Tadasu-no-mori, between two rivers. World Heritage, free, and quiet even in the middle of the day. The main gate closes at 17:00, and Kawai Shrine inside the grounds already at 16:30. At the southern end of the forest the two rivers meet, and there the Kamo River begins, with stepping stones you cross the water on.
FreeOpen in Maps About this place
Down to dinner
- Walk · 15 minWalk back south through the forest, cross the Kamo on Demachi Bridge or on the stepping stones, and continue west to Masugata Street, about 1 km.
On the way you can stop at:
Demachi Futaba: A wagashi shop from 1899 that sells mame-mochi, a rice cake with beans and bean paste, ¥250. Takeaway only, there is a queue, and it closes at 17:30. Closed on Tuesdays and on the fourth Wednesday of the month, cash only.
17:0018:30
Stop 6DinnerRecommended
Dinner in Demachi Masugata
You finish in a small neighborhood arcade near the station, without tourists, which was the model for the street in the anime series 'Tamako Market' (2013). From here you head back from Demachiyanagi Station, about 5 minutes on foot: to Gion-Shijo on the Keihan Line, 6 minutes, ¥240, or by city bus 7 to Kyoto Station, ¥230. A cheap neighborhood dinner, or kaiseki at the edge of the forest:
- Inoue no Gyoza
  Inside the arcade: a set of gyoza with karaage, salad, soup and rice, and also ramen and curry. 11:00 to 20:00, closed on Mondays and on the third Tuesday of the month. Cash only.
- Tako to Kentaro Part 2
  Takoyaki in soft batter with dashi broth, and the dish it is known for comes with Kujo green onion. 11:00 to 19:00, irregular closing days. Cash only.
- Shimogamo Saryo
  A kaiseki restaurant from 1856 at the southern edge of the Tadasu forest, with a menu that changes every month. Dinner 17:00 to 21:00, last order at 20:00, closed on Tuesdays. By advance booking.
- Kosher or vegan? Every kosher and vegan place in this city
¥1,500 · ≈ $10Open in Maps

Kurama and Kibune: a walk on the tengu's mountain, the water shrine, and a meal above the stream

6 stops, in order

Eizan train to Kurama: the window car

Kurama-dera: the temple where Yoshitsune learned to fight

The trail over the mountain to Kibune: the cedar roots

Kifune Shrine: the water god and the fortune slips that dissolve

Lunch break in Kibune

Shimogamo Shrine and the Tadasu forest

Dinner in Demachi Masugata

Kids' day in Kyoto: the Railway Museum, the Aquarium, To-ji and Kyoto Tower

Walking Kyoto's eastern hills: from Ginkaku-ji to Gion via the Philosopher's Path

Fushimi Inari: the torii gates at sunrise, Tofuku-ji and the sake district

Higashiyama: Kiyomizu-dera in the morning, the Sannenzaka lanes, and Gion in the evening

Arashiyama: the bamboo grove at sunrise, Tenryu-ji, monkeys and the Romantic Train

Kinkaku-ji, Ryoan-ji, Nijo Castle and Nishiki Market: the north and the center