+1070 m / -940 m / 19 km
The hike of the day is a stage of the Kyoto Trail, at the northeast of Kyoto (in blue on the map). It is feasible from station to station by slightly adapting the route.
I take the subway at Sanjo towards the north until Demachiyanagi, and I change for a single-car train which brings me to Yase Hieizanguchi. It’s a bit steep-sided. I must cross the river but the bridge shown on the map is nowhere to be seen, only pillars remain… I reach the next one 200 m farther. I climb Mount Hiei via the Eastern slope that I don’t know yet. It is a path that gets lost from time to time. I come across some sort of sanctuary where statues are disposed in lines. I meet the Kyoto Trail again a bit before reaching the summit, as well as the markings seen the last time. By the way, there are about 200 m shared with that previous hike but instead of going down to the main lodges of Enryakuji, I take to the left on a crest trail going down gently.
Yase Hieizanguchi station
I see other temples and secondary lodges. One of them (Jodo-in) features a nice zen garden. The path is now clear and passable, there are plenty of signs: it would be hard to get lost. The crest goes through two peaks, whose slopes are quite steep: mount Yokotaka (767 m), and mount Mizui (794 m). Fortunately the path stays high between those two. I go through the Ogi Toge pass. Then it’s a descent steep enough but pleasant: undergrowth, with roots showing up and making natural stairs. I gain some speed, my legs hold steady, it’s a bliss.
Jodo-inI get to the bottom of the valley, it’s the countryside. And it looks a bit like some places found above Alès… I cross the Takano river and I keep going to the mountain ahead in order to change valley. That part of the route is so-so, the road is never far and the undergrowth is ordinary. I arrive in another countryside area, not so different than the previous one, where I sit down to eat the sandwich and the potato chips bought this morning. Then I go through a nice residential neighborhood and I am in the forest again to change valley one more time! The pass is steep, and abandoned houses come into view… Gloomy.
I get to Kurama at last, it seems very small. There are big stairs leading to Mount Kurama, where a whole set of temples is to be found. A sign post says the main lodge is 1 km away… I would be ready to give it a try, but the entrance of the place is charged. So it will be for another day, when I will still have the energy to visit it all.
Kurama stationThe train (2 cars) arrive at the station. It goes back a few minutes later towards Demachiyanagi and downtown Kyoto. I wouldn’t have believed that this kind of hike and elevation would be just 40 min away from my place.