I take advantage of waking up early to go to Kurama. It has been a month since I want to return there, and I haven’t seen the momijis around Kyoto yet. There are some in the city of course, but they are a bit dull. From what I heard, it has been too hot here for their foliage to really turn red.
Going North then, with a subway and a train. It’s not crowded this morning, I can easily sit down. Around the end of the trip, the train goes through tunnels of red and yellow leaves.
I see the pretty Kurama station again but I don’t hang around. I take a ticket and go up. There is only one path that winds between different pavilions. I quickly arrive at the main one. There is a large esplanade with an unobstructed view of Mount Hiei. By the time to see the temple from the inside, the weather becomes cloudy, and the cold arrives…
I keep going up to the pass, then there is an easy descent to Kibune. It’s cute, but not really a village: a street, a river, a few traditional hotels and restaurants, and other temples. And quite a few tourists! I follow the road for 1km North to Okunomiya. There must be an event as a few artisan and restorer stalls have been set up around the temple. It’s my chance to eat roasted chestnuts for lunch.
I go back down to the “center” of Kibune and then I continue along the side of the road to the train station.