Where Hilma would send you
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1
Eizan train
Attraction
Aug 28
Eizan train
I took the Eizan train north from Demachiyanagi Station—thirty minutes through shrinking city, then suburbs, then the green tunnel of the forest line into the mountains.
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2
Demachiyanagi Station
Landmark
Aug 28
Demachiyanagi Station
I took the Eizan train north from Demachiyanagi Station.
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3
Kurama Station
Landmark
Aug 28
Kurama Station
I got off at Kurama Station and started the climb.
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4
Kurama-dera
Attraction
Aug 28
Kurama-dera
Kurama-dera is everything the guidebooks rarely mention: a temple older than most of Kyoto (founded around 770 CE), hidden in the forest at the base of Mount Kurama, accessible only by cable car or a steep path through giant cedar trees.
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5
Mount Kurama
Attraction
Aug 28
Mount Kurama
The mountain itself, Mount Kurama, is deeply associated with Japanese folk Buddhism and is said to be the place where the tengu (mountain goblins) taught martial arts to the legendary warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune.
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6
Kifune Shrine
Attraction
Aug 28
Kifune Shrine
Kifune Shrine, at the top of the village, is older than Kurama-dera—over 1,600 years, built to honour the water deity who arrives by yellow boat according to the legend.