Riding Japan’s Secret Local Train that No One Knows in Kyoto | Hiei

Riding Japan’s Secret Local Train that No One Knows in Kyoto | Hiei

Today’s video… Just relax and enjoy the video! September 25th, 2025 Kyoto, Japan Here we are in Demachiyanagi area, Kyoto City The northern part of Kyoto urban area It’s more relaxing and chilling, compared to the very central area of Kyoto City So today, we are traveling with one of the Kyoto’s local railways Eizan Railway which connects Demachiyanagi and multiple temples and shrines in northern Kyoto City It is the most popular railway for pilgrims to temples and shrines in northern Kyoto City Today, we ride some unique trains in Eizan Railway and do pilgrimages to temples and shrines Let’s buy the one-day pass, sold at 1200JPY/8.4USD You can get on and off trains unlimitedly Eizan Railway welcomes its 100th anniversary on September 27th (2 days after the day I filmed this!) A historic railway in northern Kyoto Only after entering the station did I find out that the first unique train I want to ride leaves an hour later Leaves at 7:55AM (Now it’s 6:40AM) I have no choice but kill time here at the station I randomly found the mini world of Eizan Railway Two cute trains start running Both are flagship trains of Eizan Railway, Hiei and Kirara I firstly take the Hiei train The green one Looks like Eizan Railway likes anime very much There is a Gacha Gacha corner I’m usually not a Gacha Gacha person but sometimes, I love it Now guess which of the five I got! I can’t wait any longer so let’s just take this Matcha train A station attendant told me that the first “Hiei” train departs from another station at 7:15AM! So I stand up and hurry to catch the train Train runs through the Doraemon-like neighborhood That train is not Hiei Oh that train is! Hiei train Cool shape It was preparing for first departure It’s coming! The front face is very oval Train debuted in 2023 as a sightseeing train to the entrance of Mount Hiei(one of the most sacred mountains in Japan) Without further ado, let’s get on the train Wow so luxurious Surprisingly, there is no other passenger It’s like a chartered train! The train that reflects the beauty of Mount Hiei A majestic and sacred atmosphere and profound history of the mountain are expressed in the interior and exterior designs When the sun shines through the oval window, it reminds you of sunlight filtering through the trees It’s only about 14 min ride from Demachiyanagi to Yase-Hieizanguchi(terminal) But absoulutely no one on board, during Kyoto’s so-called “over-tourism” period It’s an escape train from the overly-crowded city The interior is like a spaceship Soon arriving at Yase-Hieizanguchi terminal Oh, that Matcha train that we boarded from Demachiyanagi! But we don’t climb Mount Hiei We climb Mount Kurama instead, the other terminal of Eizan Railway So we take the same train back to Demachiyanagi and transfer for the other train to Mount Kurama Say hi to the mini Hiei here Looks like there are lots of unique stuff in Eizan Railway The front views let us see the real everyday life of Kyoto POV: You are living in Kyoto Japan. Backing to the Doraemon neighborhood Hats off to the professional train driver There are tons of railway crossings working at the same time, wow Oh, that Matcha train! Back at Demachiyanagi, starting point Here we transfer from the Hiei Line to the Kurama Line to the Mount Kurama On board the special panoramic train, Kirara This Kirara is also unique Let’s get on board So large windows for panoramic views Some seats are facing toward the windows So that you can get to see the views right in front of you Thank you Hiei for the quick luxurious ride! The station is now in morning rush hour We ride this Kirara train for about 30 mins to the Kurama terminal So the answer is… I’ve got the Salmon one! If your guess was correct, then I think you will be a lucky person tomorrow The missions on this travel are: to visit Kurama Temple and Kibune Shrine, and to eat the “Nagashi Somen”(flowing somen noodles) The Nagashi Somen in Kibune are only available during summer (until the end of September) So I have to try it at this time no matter what! Wait for that Nagashi Somen experience in the later part of the video We are now running through the tunnel of trees This scenic part is what Kirara is most famous for In Authmn, the leaves turn red and it gets much more beautiful, especially at night It’s a magical train In Mount Kurama, there are mainly Kurama Temple and Kibune Shrine You can visit both in less than 3 hours You can use a train and bus to move between the temple and shrine But I choose to walk Train entering the deep mountainous place Arriving at the Kurama terminal (8:33AM) Welcome to Kurama Station which has unique cultural vibes of Kurama The face masks that can be seen here are “Tengu” It’s a powerful Japanese Goblin that is said to live in Kurama Tengu, the spirits of the mountains, are keeping Kurama a powerful place It’s a quiet place but I feel there are a lot of spirits in here Kurama is only around thirty minutes from Kyoto City, but it feels like worlds away Imagine the night ambience here… At first, I tried to walk to the main temple But I found out that there is a cable car The only cable car in Japan operated by a temple If you walk to the main shrine, it takes 30 mins But today’s goal is Kibune-jinja shrine and we have to try Nagashi Somen there (The restaurant closes at 1:00PM) So I’ll make a short cut by cable car Buying a ticket It costs only 200JPY/1.4USD Oh, as it’s run by the temple, it’s not a ticket but “donation”! 207 m/0.13 mi cable car line It’s also the shortest railway line in Japan The air is very cozy BTW, Mt. Kurama is the head temple of Kurama Kōkyō, an independent sect whose principal deity is ‘Sonten,’ which governs the fundamental life force and energy of the universe Therefore, Kurama is said to be the closest place to the universe in Japan Some people even say Mt. Kurama is the most powerful place in Kyoto I reached the main hall Kondou Here, there is a place of training for humans to harness the power of the universe within them and become one with the universe Stand right behind the triangle, stretch your hands out to the side and look at the sky to get the concentrated power(Sonten) that descends from the universe Well, I don’t mean to be fishy but it’s actually one of the most wel-known temples in Japan Feel the great energy here! Let’s proceed to Kibune Shrine It’s about an hour to walk the path Ahh, I think I wore the wrong shoes getting blisters on my feet… It’s more 1140 m/0.7 mi to Kibune Shrine For me, it’s very hard as my shoes.. But I be a man There are small temples on the path to stop by and pray for like a milestone Roots are above the surface Natural aesthetics The sounds of the nature are just relaxing The oasis. My feet are already dying Reached the very rear hall From here, we are entering the Kibune Shrine properties The path becomes more rough Cedar forests The great nature surrounds me It’s a bit spooky Finally, we can see houses! and walking people Arrived at Kibune I’m now so hungry The street to the shrine is filled with traditional restaurants Here in Kibune, we visitors are welcomed with luxurious meals Entrance to the Kibune Shrine But sorry, I want to eat Nagashi Somen first Super hungry Let me stop here for a second I found a Gacha Gacha place again! “Japanese Old Coin and Bills” “The real ones” WOW So curious on this one I got a 10 sen coin, which is one-tenth of 1 yen) made in 1940 How much can this be sold? Kibune is especially famous for “River Dining” In Kibune, there are lots of restaurants that offer tables on patios over the river You eat meals while hearing the relaxing water sounds of the river Restaurants in Kibune use lanterns over the patios, to make them a vibe I finally arrived at the Nagashi Somen restaurant, Hirobun It costs 2000JPY/14USD per person I additionally bought a Ramune bottle as a refreshment Going down to the patio You are told to sit in a waiting area on the patio There are only 4-5 groups that can enjoy Nagashi Somen at one time Ramune is a very popular summer drink in Japan First, remove the outer plastic wrapper and get the small plastic piece called “plunger” Next, place it on top of the marble and press down firmly until you hear a pop This is how you open the Ramune bottle It sounds a bit tricky but all Japanese people from children to grown-ups can perfectly do this! Yay, it’s our turn! You get a mini bowl of Tsuyu, where you dip the noodles in and after-meal sweets There are 5 lanes in total Each person uses a different lane, so there is no fight here Oh, Nagashi Somen just started You will instantly know what Nagashi Somen is Noodles are coming down You catch them at the perfect timing! Gottcha! You dip the noodles in the Tsuyu Quickly slurp them Another noodles come down soon Don’t miss them out This is actually my first time doing Nagashi Somen in life But it was not difficult than I thought Nagashi Somen is the very summer thing of Japan Many cities in Japan hold Nagashi Somen festivals during summer I almost missed it haha Looks like everyone is getting used to the Nagashi Somen I never get bored of slurping the Somen noodles There is no break! The person next to me: “The pink noodles are coming, sad!” oh nooo the pink noodles… It’s the sign of the end of Nagashi Somen Thank you The sweets are Warabi Mochi in Matcha powder They are bracken starch dumplings Good texture and rich taste It started raining I was lucky because when it starts raining, they close Nagashi Somen Thank you the God of Nagashi Somen I really like the coziness of Kibune Kibune’s impressive “Lantern Staircase” At night, it becomes a different world Kibune Shrine enshrines the God of Water Shrine was founded over 1,600 years ago Somehow, the rain got stronger when I entered the shrine! It has been a site for prayers for rainfall and prosperous harvests Let’s try the water Omikuji(fortune telling) When you dip a blank piece of paper in the sacred water of Mt. Kibune, letters will appear It’s a magic “Disease: You get a severe disease but you will recover from it.” Wait, what’s “severe disease”?? So scared! Thank you for watching the video, always Let’s do Rock, Scissors, Paper 1 2 3 Paper See you in the next travel!

Today, we take the Kyoto’s most unique local train from Demachiyanagi to Kifune-jinja Shrine and eat the Nagashi Somen(flowing Somen noodles) there.

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