Kifune Shrine

Wonderful place! Not too far from Kyoto. I actually did the hike from Mount Kurama to Kifune, it was a stunning experience. Very rewarding when I reached this beautiful town full of amazing restaurants and good vibes. If you like to explore something unique, this is a great town. Enjoy the tranquility and harmony!

The place overall is nice. It’s quite far and awkward to get to. Unless you understand Japanese or the process of offering and talismans, and this is what you want to do, there are definitely better places to visit as a foreigner. If you are a blogger, you will probably would not mind the trip but if you are a normal tourist who doesn’t speak the local language, I would not recommend this place. I felt it was a bit of a waste of our day. If you choose to come here, it might be best to hire a local guide and ideally travel by car.

To go this place, many tourist will exit at the Eizan rail station before Kurama. This route takes a bus ride about 200 yen to get you to the shire or you have to walk 20 mins uphill on a narrow road. Instead, take Eizan rail all the way up to the last station Kurama with the 1 day pass where you can use it to go Mt. Heizan on the same day. At Kurama station, walk to the kurama temple Niomon , pay the entrance fee 500 yen and walk to the cable car station on the right hand side. Buy the ticket 200 yen and let the cable car take you halfway up the mountain. Hike the mountain for 20 mins to reach Kurama Dera and there onwards is all the way hiking downhill to Kifune shire. Not recommend to eat at the water top restaurant, too overpriced. The lamps are an appreciation to the donation from every person to the temple.

I went to this area early in the morning in the hopes of getting to line up early in Hirobun for the Nagashi Somen experience, unfortunately, it rained that time. So, I decided to just visit Kifune Shrine and proceed with my option B plan. The shrine gave a mysterious and tranquil vibe as I climb up the stairs, much more if you visit it during the illumination at nighttime. The 1st thing that catches my attention are those bamboo with colorful papers tied to it. You can still write your wishes on a paper (￥100 per piece) and tie it in on one of the bamboo branches. One of the unique things you can do here is to try their omikuji. It costs ￥200 per piece and you have to soak the paper on the water to reveal your fortune readings. You can also scan the QR code to read it in your preferred language. They also have a souvenir shop with a small restaurant located on the other side of the stairs. If you're visiting the shrine, I suggest arriving early to avoid the crowds.

We visited during June the 1st Festival. Wonderful place! It is much colder there than in other parts of Kyoto. Took about an hour to get there from Gion (two trains plus one bus). It was worth it!