We will visit Kuramadera which is a Buddhist temple located along the steep wooded mountainside. Behind the temple's main building, the hiking trail continues through the forest to Kibune, a small town famous for Kibune Shrine dedicated to the goddess of the water "Tamayorihime". The hike from Kurama-dera to Kibune takes about one hour. If you like, you can also enjoy "Onsen" hot spring at Kurama.
At your hotel in kyoto city area
Kuramadera temple, known for its spirituality and breathtaking natural beauty
Hiking from Kurama to Kibune through wooded forest past several other temple structures
Kifune Shrine, in which the goddess of the water is enshrined
Scenic train ride from Kibuneguchi Sta. to Kurama
Enjoy soaking in Onsen (Open air Spa) at Kurama Onsen resort after the hike (If you like)
Eiden(Tram Train) Demachi Yanagi Station
Kurama is a rural town in the northern mountains of Kyoto City. Kurama is known for Kurama-dera Buddhist temple. It takes about 40 minutes to climb up to the temple's main hall. Along the ascent to Kurama-dera, Yuki Jinja,shrine is located, famous for its Fire Festival which is held on October 22. From the main hall, the hiking trail continues through the forest to Kibune. Kurama is very popular among Japanese people to visit, because of the many mysterious occult events such as "Tengu" legendary creature.
Kibune is a small town along the valley which developed around Kifune Shrine. Kifune Shrine is dedicated to the god of water. Here you can obtain a paper fortune slips that reveal their messages when dipped into water.
From June to September, restaurants in Kibune build platforms called "Kawadoko" out over the river where visitors can enjoy a meal.
After the hike, you can also enjoy bathing in the open-air Spa called "Rotenburo" at Kurama Onsen resort.
-My services as your Tour Guide
-My transportation fare
* This tour might be extended due to various circumstances such as weather or your physical conditions etc. In such case, I would NOT charge any extra guide fee.
-Entrance fees (Kuramadera: 300 yen per person, Hot spring outdoor spa: 1000 yen)
-Taxi fare from your hotel to Demachi yanagi Tram station:around 1000 to 3000 yen per cab from city center
-Eiden Tram Train: 840 (420*2) yen per person
-Cable car: 200 yen per person
-Bus and train fare: 350 yen per person (140 yen for bus from kibune Jinja to Kibuneguchi Sta. 210 yen for train from Kibuneguchi Sta. to Kurama Sta.)
-Lunch,drinks, and snacks
-I recommend this tour from May to November.
-You are going to walk in Mountain area for about two hours. So I recommend you should wear sneakers or hiking shoes and bring a rain wear or umbrella in case of shower, and also bring some water and snacks to appease your thirst and hunger temporarily.
-You can take cable-car (200 yen)that leads about halfway up the mountain. In this case, you may skip Yuki jinja shrine.
-If you like to enjoy "Kawadoko" meal, please let me know, I will arrange it. Most restaurants serve meals that range in price from 10,000 to 20,000 yen per person. Dependig on the wether conditions, you may have lunch inside of the building.
-From Kibune to Kurama station via Kibuneguchi station, we usually use public transportation(Shuttle Bus and scenic train).
-Daytrippers can use the public open-air bath at the price of 1000 yen at Kurama Onsen resort.
-In case of rain, I would like to take you to Ohara district (Sanzen-in temple, and so on) after visiting Kuramadera temple and Kibune Shrine by my private vehicle.
We, family of 5, engaged Koichi for 2 days in Osaka and Kyoto. Taking a public transport with someone on wheelchair always needs extra time and sometimes can be challenging. Koichi is very familiar with the train routes and he knows where the lifts in the train station are located. He always came prepared with a plan of the places that we wanted to go and explained all the background/history well. Furthermore, he knows where the good spots for photos are and helped us take many nice pictures. Overall, he is a fun and caring guy and took care of all our needs. Without him, we would not have been able to visit so many places in 2 days. Thanks, my friend, Koichi!
Koichi gave our family a day we wont forget. His thoughtful itinerary kept the day fun and interesting. We never went in and out the same way to any area - he took us on interesting side streets or along beautiful waterways. We even stopped at a great mochi place and a very old green tea restaurant. Koichi was interesting; always having explanations backed up with pamphlets to help us understand anything we had questions about about. We enjoyed our time and would highly recommend him to anyone.
Hi! Thank you for giving me such a nice review. I’m very happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour. I was also able to have a pleasant time with you , your husband and lovely cute daughters. Well, I will never forget your face when I ate a chocolate ball like a deer’s poop in Nara park. That was very fun! Anyway I hope to see you again in the near future. Thanks again, Anna san.
We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Koichi and would have no hesitation in recommending him to anyone looking for a guide. We had 7 hours in Osaka and we communicated prior to our arrival on how best to plan our time there. We visited Osaka castle, Shitennoji Buddhist temple and beautiful gardens and a tea ceremony at Maikoya. Koichi found us a great place to have some “Japanese fast food”, udon noodles and tempura. We were a party of six and included in the group was my mother who has limited mobility. Koichi was patient and understanding and and I truly appreciate that he sought out the use of elevators and slopes for her to use on the public transport and at tourist sights. Koichi is easy to understand and happy to show tourists around his beautiful country, he even brought us origami cranes that his wife made for us all. I appreciate the fact that Koichi included his transportation fees in the itinerary and I was able to prepay that. Thank you Koichi for taking photos along the way...we will always remember our time in Osaka with you. Next time we come to Japan we will book you for a tour of Kyoto.
We were very pleased with Koichi as our guide for a day in Nara and another in Kyoto. He was knowledgeable, energetic, flexible, attentive - and kind! - and escorted us to many fascinating and beautiful sights over the two days that we hired him. He is well-educated, speaks English well, and has diverse life experiences which broaden his guiding capabilities. Highly recommended!
Hi! Frederick san, Thank you for giving me such a nice review. I was able to have a great time with you. Well, During the tour I was amazed by your enthusiasm for photography. If I have a chance to attend you, I would like to show you more interesting places where you might be interested in.