"Calm in Kurama" a Kurama Travel Page by mikegr

Kurama is a beautiful spot, which makes an fantastic day trip from Kyoto, Osaka or Nara, and is ideal if you want an easy escape from the crowds, noise and pollution of Kansai's larger cities.

A small village nestling in a pretty valley, Kurama boasts a pleasant onsen which I would strongly recommend, particularly if you've walked over the hill from neighbouring Kibune; a straight forward 2 hour (or less) walk. The onsen is at the North end of Kurama - turn left from the station, or from where the Kibune walk enters the village.

To get to Kurama from Osaka, take the Keihan line from Yodoyabashi station (on the Midosuji line) to the last station (Demachiyanagi) - this line passes through Kyoto. From Demachiyanagi, take the tiny Eizan line to Kurama (410 yen); alternatively if you want to do the suggested walk below, get off the train at the second last stop - Kibune-guichi.

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Kibune village

Kibune to Kurama walk

I usually do this walk in the cooler months, finishing in Kurama so i can enjoy the onsen - in the Summer months do the walk in reverse as restaurants in Kibune set platforms over the river there so you can enjoy lunch in the natural air conditioning which the river provides.

From Kibune-guichi station walk to the road and go right. A 10-15 minute walk will bring you to Kibune village, with its pretty river. Continue through the vilage (very easy as there is only 1 street) until you reach the small wooden bridge spanning the river and cross over. Alternatively, you can walk a little further into the village and see the Kibune-jinja shrine before crossing the river.

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Marcelo and Me at Kurama-dera

From there simply follow the path up the hill, passing a couple of shrines, before descending to a museum, and a temple complex. Below the temple complex, the only confusing part of the walk is remembering to turn right at the juction, otherwise, just continue down the hill (past a horrifically ugly statue looking very out of place) to another shrine and Kurama village.

This walk is so simple, you don't even need a map. If you are the least bit unsure, rest assured that although the walk is by no means crowded, there are enough people around who will be able to help you, in the unlikely event that you need assistance.