Kurama-dera sits on a steep mountainside in the village of Kurama, about thirty minutes north of central Kyoto on the small Eizan Electric Railway. The temple was founded in 770 and is the head of its own small Buddhist denomination, the Kurama-kō. The main hall is reached by either a long uphill path of stone steps or a short cable car, and the climb is part of the appeal — the surrounding cedar forest is one of the closest pieces of genuinely wild country to the city.
From the main hall a separate forest path crosses the ridge — about an hour's walking — to Kibune Shrine on the far side, where in summer riverside restaurants extend dining platforms over the cascading Kibune River. The combination of the temple, the hike across the ridge, and lunch at Kibune is a classic Kyoto day. Kurama is also the focus of the spectacular Hi-matsuri (fire festival) in late October, when villagers carry huge burning torches through the streets.