Mount-Kurama
Let me guide you on Mount-Kurama, a sacred mountain adjacent to a small hamlet with the same name, tucked away in Kyoto’s northern mountains.
This is the home of an esoteric Buddhist temple, a 1000 year old Shinto shrine, many legends, mythological beings and important figures from Japanese history.
Legends tells of the samurai, Minamoto no Yoshitsune who was trained in martial arts by the Tengu king, Sojobo-sama that lives on Mount-Kurama.
This is also the place where Buen, an ascetic Buddhist monk faced a male dragon and defeated it.
Reiki, an energy based healing practice, was also born in Kurama.
And there is so much more!
Practical:
After a 30 minutes train ride from Kyoto we’ll hike up Mount-Kurama, (+/- 45min), discovering many spiritual and sacred places before arriving at Kurama-dera, the main temple.
From there it’s a very short climb to the summit (15 min), were we’ll take a short break before descending to Kibune, a hamlet on the other side of the mountain.
After visiting Kibune-jinja, we’ll head back to the station and return to Kyoto.
Tips:
Sport or hiking shoes with a grippy sole are strongly recommended.