Hiking the Kyoto Trail: Day 2 - A Wonderful Yet Intense Day on the Trail

Travel diaries: November 3rd, Day 2 - Higashiyama Course - 20.5-km

Good evening,

Today¹ was a beautifully long day of hiking—one of those days when each section of the trail felt like my favorite, until I reached the next. Maybe because I expected nothing more than a good long walk—given that Kyoto is known more for its scenic garden strolls than its hiking trails—this trail far exceeded my expectations. It also gave me a giddy feeling, as if I had unlocked the city's hidden paths, allowing me to sneak behind its landmarks and enjoy them from a new, almost secret perspective.

---

This morning, I set out just after sunrise, around 6 a.m., and walked to Fushimi-Inari to locate the trailhead sign for the Higashiyama Course—a 24.6-km section that connects Fushimi-Inari to the summit of Mount Hiei in about 11 hours. Official time estimates tend to be a little conservative, so I assumed I could complete the trail in around nine hours, reaching the summit before sunset and in time to catch one of the last cable cars back to civilization. Everything went according to plan—until it did not. Near the very end of the hike, I had to take a detour after spotting the following sign: 'A female trail runner had been attacked by a bear in this section.' More about this later, and first, here are today’s trail notes.

---

I was already impressed yesterday, even during the short 3-hour Fushimi-Fukakusa Route² that connects Fushimi Momoyama to Fushimi Inari and takes you through forest roads with lonely shrines and bamboo forests. Today’s section, which began where I left off yesterday—in front of Fushimi Inari train station—took things up a notch with dark, mossy forests, waterfalls, rivers, and ridge walks.

The Fushimi-Fukakusa Course joins the Higashiyama Course at Fushimi Inari at one of its busiest points, where three separate lines of torii gates lines come together, forming an intersection—perhaps this is to give you a little culture shock and shake things up after three secluded and peaceful hours.

Once I left the Fushimi Inari behind, the trail through a city park kind of greenery and small shrines that looked otherworldly under the morning light—and with a very short highway approaching section—led to Sennyuji Temple. But the real fun started after Senyuuji when I got to hike through woods for a little over two hours with only one road crossing. The trail also goes behind the world-famous, UNESCO-certified Kiyomizu-Dera. Having visited the temple many times before, I felt a little strange not knowing about this beautiful trail going right behind it (though you do not get a peak of the temple from the trail). I am sure hundreds of people were at the temple at that exact moment, but I was all alone on the trail.