Date I went: 04/23/2020
Youtube video:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oritabi808/
In this post I detail some of the sites I found along the way to Kifune and Kurama-dera.
Bicycle Route to Kurama and Kifune
My bicycle route to get there was mostly uphill and a little over 16 kilometers. Google maps will say that the path featured above is not walkable and cannot be accessed by bicycle, but it is trust me. Biking to these two places is a bit challenging as they are up in the mountains, but the road is very well paved and I saw lots of other cyclists on the road as well.
Kifune Shrine to Kurama-dera Temple Route
Kifune Shrine and Kurama Temple are fairly close to one another so I decided to make a day trip out of visiting both of them. I would try to get here early though to spend about half the day at each location.
Hiragino Dam (柊野堰堤)
Located on the Kamo River, Hiragino Dam looks more like a waterfall than a dam right?
Kyoto City Tohokubu Clean Center Garbage Incinerator (京都市東北部クリーンセンター)
This garbage incinerator is a good marker that you are on the right road to the Kifune and Kurama.
Kurama River (鞍馬川)
I pretty much followed the Kurama River up into the mountains, and you can see some nice views of the river at various spots.
Kuramakibunecho (鞍馬貴船町)
In the Kuramakibunecho area the road started to narrow and in the situation above the bus and car had to maneuver a bit to make room for each to pass by, and myself as well lol
It's fairly smooth sailing up the road here to Kifune Shrine with plenty of mini waterfall views and the stream following nearby the road is a nice sound.
Kifune Shrine (貴船神社)
Kifune Shrine is one of the oldest in Japan, in fact it's so old that no one knows exactly when it was built. It's also known to be home to the water gods.
Kifune Shrine: https://kifunejinja.jp/
Ema (絵馬)
These woodblocks called Ema have peoples hopes and wishes for the year written down on them. People come during all times of the year to write them.
The kanji above can be broken down to
絵 - E or picture
馬 - Ma or horse
So they are picture horses! People used to donate horses to shrines for good fortune hence where the name comes from.
Gyuichi-sha・Kawao-sha・Suzuka-sha Shrine (牛一社・川尾社・鈴鹿社・末社)
The various prayer sites that can be found at Kifune Shrine.
Once you go through Kifune Shrine there are some stairs leading out of the Shrine with a nice waterfall view.
Kawadoko River Dining
Around Kifune Shrine you can find a unique river dining experience called Kawadoko River Dining! At the time I came it was still April so they were still in the process of constructing the temporary river dining platforms. This experience only occurs during the Summer months in Japan and can be found elsewhere in Japan.
Kawadoko River Dining: https://www.travelcaffeine.com/kawadoko-river-dining-kibune-kyoto-japan/
They are building platforms to be laid out across the river for people to dine on.
The construction of these platforms are easily broken down, but also very sturdy being made with a combination of bamboo, steel poles, and wood planks.
During the summer this is what the river dining experience is supposed to look like.
Kuramahonmachi (鞍馬本町)
After Kifune Shrine I headed to the neighboring area of Kuramahonmachi.
Yuki Shrine (由岐神社)
At the entrance of the hiking path up to Kurama-dera is the Yuki Shrine
Tsuzura-ori Path (九十九折)
There is a stairway that leads up to Kurama-dera called the Tsuzura-ori Path. The walk up took me about 30 minutes going at a brisk pace.
Yorishiro (依り代)
Yoshiro are spiritual objects that can attract Kami, or spirits. This gives the spirits a space to occupy in the physical realm. They are marked with large ropes wrapped or draped on them. This tree is considered a Yoshiro in case it wasn't clear enough.
The walk up is not too difficult as it is well paved and clearly marked, but if you are not in for some exercise there is a cable car you can take up as well.
Kurama-dera Temple (鞍馬山 鞍馬寺)
This mountain temple called Kurama-dera is associated with having Tengu residing around it. It's also known to house some national treasures of Japan.
Kurama-dera: https://www.kuramadera.or.jp/
This is a Tengu, they look like demons because they are. They are great swordsmen and have a tendency to be mischievous.
You can see how well-paved the stairway is. On the lefts side the guard rail has some inscriptions in the stone, but I'm not sure what it says. Must have taken a lot of man power to bring all these stones up the mountain.
The ride back down the mountain through the neighborhoods is quiet and it doesn't really seem like anyone is around.
Kamigamo-Jinja (上賀茂神社)
I passed by this temple completely by accident, but it was a welcome site. There are a few different worshipping spots around here and they are uniquely set on the bank of the river pictured above.
Kamigamo-jinja: https://www.kamigamojinja.jp/
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