It was my first day off after I had officially started teaching and I was already itching to explore some new territory. It was a toss up between Kobe and Kyoto on where to check out first! As soon as a colleague mentioned an amazing hike he had just went on in Kyoto, my mind was swayed. A five minute conversation and a handwritten map later, I was ready to go to Kyoto in the morning! Now to only wake up early enough to make the trek…
The Kyoto city center actually isn’t far from Osaka, maybe 45 minutes at the most. However, this particular hike was truly in the mountains, which added an extra 30-45 minutes to my journey.
The trail I took was from Kibune to Kurama. Man, am I so glad I went on this hike! Picture this:
- Perfect weather. Clear skies, temperature in the mid-60’s. (For my Celsius folks, that’s about 18-19).
- Only a handful of other hikers. Mostly backpacker-westerners with a few locals fused in. I purposely went on Friday and not Sunday (my other day off) to avoid any crowds.
- Beautiful scenery. There were so many points along the hike where I just had to stop and soak it all in. Cute little pebbles and moss-covered trees. Streams. The view of Kyoto from the top of the mountain… Mind you, this was a fluke warm day during the end of winter, so most of the trees were still bare. I can only imagine what it’ll be like during the spring, or better yet, the fall. Ahh, I can’t wait for fall.
Anyway, now that I’ve obviously painted you the perfect picture of this wonderful, relaxing, stunning hike, I would like to share some of my amateur photography below. (Shout out to my not-so-amateur Samsung NX300 for making my photography skills look better than they actually are).
And of course, can’t forget the ones I took on my iPhone when I was too lazy to take out the Samsung cam. Here come the selfies.
If you are someone who loves to hike and you’re looking to see more of Kyoto, I highly recommend Kibune to Kurama. It’s a beginner to moderate hike on Mt. Kurama and it only takes a few hours at the most. I suggest going in the spring or fall for the best scenery, but obviously anytime of year will leave you feeling wowed. I can vouch for Friday, March 4th, 2016. 🙂
When You Wander 
Don and I just watched your new blog with the sumo wrestleing and Kyuto hiking. What great pictures of both. We loved seeing this. You look so happy. We love and miss you, Grandma Rona and Papa Don
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Thank you both! I am so glad you are enjoying my posts. Japan has been full of learning and adventure. I’m hoping to write a few more posts over the next week or so. 🙂 I love you and miss you so much! ❤️
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