Japan: Day 12 — Kyoto ...

Tengu, as seen outside the Kurama train station

It was a holiday in Japan, as part of the Obon festival. One of my classmates from MCU is studying Japanese in Kyoto and had the day off, so we went on a small trip together. We headed to the northern mountains of Kyoto to a place called Kurama. It took one hour by train to get there.

Upon our arrival, it was raining ever so slightly. We opted to take the cable car that went up the mountain for ¥200. At the top, there was a big temple called Kurama-dera. It was quite impressive and offered some nice but cloudy views. After visiting the temple, there was a path that led us through a wonderful lush forest. The hike itself wasn't difficult and it was lovely to be in nature! Thankfully the rained had stopped! The trail popped us out at another temple that was packed with people!

One of many restaurants over a fast running stream

Besides the temple, this area had a ton of restaurants with tables set up directly over a running stream. It looked like a very cool place to eat but the prices were astronomical. Wayne knew of one place that was reasonably priced but there were about 200 people waiting in line to eat there. Although hungry, we made our way on foot down the mountain road in the direction of the train station.

Tree roots along the hiking trails

The narrow road up to this particular area wasn't wide enough to fit two cars so there was a constant line of cars on the road unable to move. Men in aprons from the restaurants were shouting at drivers to move this way or that. As we neared the bottom of this tiny mountain road, I noticed parking lots full of cars. The restaurants had shuttle buses picking people up from the train station and the parking lots. More men in fine attire were calling out names on lists, trying to find those who had made reservations for the bus and the restaurants. It was a crazy place. Never have I seen anything like it.

Wayne and I made our way back to the city and grabbed some lunch at the place where we needed to change trains. There was an Indian food place right across the street from the station! Yes, please! The place was packed which is always a good sign and we were given a small table in the back of the kitchen since the main part of the restaurant was full. The prices were reasonable for the amount of food we got. It wasn’t the best Indian food I’ve had but it was still pretty tasty.

After our late lunch, I headed back to the hostel. I stopped at a 7-11 along the way to pick up some things for dinner along with some cold beers. I stayed in for the remainder of the day and made a game plan for the next few days!