[ Maniac Japan Travel -Kansai ]
Kurama’s main attraction, Kurama-dera, is a Buddhist temple located along the steep wooded mountainside above the town. It takes about 30-45 minutes to climb up to the temple’s main buildings from the town below. A cablecar (200 yen one way) leads about halfway up the mountain.
Along the ascent to Kurama-dera stands Yuki Jinja, a shrine famous for its Fire Festival (Kurama Hi Matsuri), held annually on October 22. Kurama-dera’s main buildings stand on a terrace on the mountain slope, overlooking the wooded valley.
Behind the temple’s main building, the hiking trail continues through the forest past several other temple structures to Kibune, a small town in the neighboring valley. The hike from Kurama-dera to Kibune takes about one hour and is steep at times.
Kibune (貴船) is a small town in a forested valley in the northern mountains of Kyoto City, which developed around Kifune Shrine. According to legend, a goddess traveled in a boat from Osaka all the way up the river into the mountains north of Kyoto, and Kifune Shrine was built at the site where her boat journey had come to an end.
Kifune Shrine is dedicated to the god of water and rain and believed to be the protector of those at sea. Here you can obtain a unique type of fortune written on paper slips (omikuji) that reveal their messages when dipped into water. Okunomiya, the inner sanctum and original site of Kifune Shrine, lies about one kilometer further up the valley. It has a large rock, known as the boat stone, which is said to be where the goddess’ yellow boat is buried.
AloJapan.com