Kurama-dera Temple, Kyoto, Japan

A photograph of Kurama-dera Temple — Photograph · KENPEI · CC BY-SA 3.0

Open today, 09:00 – 16:30

Today: Open today, 09:00 – 16:30
Standing: High
Rank: Rank 107 of 13,290

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Plan your visit.

Opening hours

Monday	09:00 – 16:30
Tuesday	09:00 – 16:30
Wednesday	09:00 – 16:30
Thursday	09:00 – 16:30
Friday	09:00 – 16:30
Saturday	09:00 – 16:30
Sunday	09:00 – 16:30

Parsed from OpenStreetMap opening hours on 2026-10-04.

About Kurama-dera Temple

Kurama-dera is a Buddhist temple located in the mountains north of Kyoto city proper. It sits on Mount Kurama at a significant elevation above the surrounding valley. The temple belongs to the Tendai school of Buddhism and has long served as a site of mountain ascetic practice. The complex is associated with legends of tengu, mythical long-nosed goblins said to inhabit Japanese forests. The temple's remote mountain setting distinguishes it from more centrally located Kyoto religious sites. Visitors typically combine a temple visit with hiking along the mountain trails.

Checked 2026-08-26

What's inside

The temple grounds contain multiple structures distributed across the mountainside. The main hall and various subsidiary buildings are connected by stone stairways and forest paths. A cable car operates partway up the mountain for those who prefer not to walk the full ascent. Sacred trees and natural features form part of the religious landscape. The temple maintains its character as an active place of worship rather than purely a tourist destination. Mountain scenery surrounds the built structures throughout the complex.

Checked 2026-08-26

How long to spend

A visit to Kurama-dera requires substantial time due to its mountain location. The approach from Kurama Station through the forest to the temple takes considerable walking. Those continuing over the mountain to Kibune will need additional hours. Even visitors using the cable car for part of the ascent should allow time for exploring the temple buildings and grounds. The full experience including travel from central Kyoto typically consumes half a day or more. Physical fitness affects time requirements significantly.

Checked 2026-08-26

Season and crowds

The temple's mountain setting means weather conditions affect accessibility and experience throughout the year. Winter visits may encounter snow or ice on paths. Summer brings dense forest vegetation and humidity. Autumn foliage and spring greenery transform the mountain scenery. Early morning visits offer quieter conditions before day-trippers arrive.

Checked 2026-08-26

Tickets

The temple likely charges admission given its status as a maintained religious institution. The cable car requires separate payment if used. Combined approaches involving multiple transportation modes from Kyoto accumulate costs. Visitors should carry cash as mountain facilities may not accept card payments. Budget for potential offerings or protective charms if desired. The extended travel time from central Kyoto also represents an implicit cost in any Kyoto itinerary with limited days.

Checked 2026-08-26

Getting there

Kurama-dera is reached via the Eizan Railway to Kurama Station, the northern terminus. From central Kyoto, travelers typically take the subway to Demachiyanagi Station and transfer to the Eizan line. The railway journey itself passes through increasingly mountainous terrain. From Kurama Station, a forested walking path leads toward the temple, with the cable car offering partial ascent. The route over the mountain to Kibune provides an alternative return path for capable hikers. Public transportation frequency decreases outside peak hours.

Checked 2026-08-26

What to watch out for

The mountain terrain presents genuine physical demands. Stone steps and forest paths become slippery in wet conditions. Proper footwear is essential; unsuitable shoes create real safety risks. Wildlife encounters including snakes occur in season. Daylight hours limit safe visiting windows given the walking distances involved. Mobile phone reception may be unreliable in mountain valleys. Solo hikers on less frequented trails face elevated risk if injury occurs. Weather forecasts should be checked before departure as mountain conditions differ from Kyoto basin reports.

Checked 2026-08-26

Photography

The mountain setting provides natural scenery of forest, rock formations, and distant views on clear days. Temple buildings offer traditional architectural subjects against woodland backgrounds. The approach path through cedar forest creates atmospheric corridor perspectives. Interior photography likely faces restrictions in worship spaces. Lighting conditions vary dramatically between dense forest shade and exposed ridgeline viewpoints. Early morning mist or seasonal phenomena may reward patient visitors. Tripod use could obstruct narrow paths shared with other pedestrians and worshippers. A flexible visit lets travellers connect Kurama-dera with the rest of the day without treating one room, viewpoint or photograph as the whole experience. The useful pace depends on personal interest and conditions on arrival.

Checked 2026-08-26

Place details and sources

Admission fee: Payable OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Type of place: Place of worship OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Established: 796 Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Religion: Buddhist OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article: Kurama-dera Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09

Website Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
+81 75-741-2003 OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
View on Wikidata

Common questions

Is Kurama-dera suitable for visitors with limited mobility?

The mountain location with stone steps and forest paths presents inherent accessibility challenges. The cable car eliminates only part of the ascent.

Can I visit Kurama-dera and Kibune in one trip?

The mountain trail connecting the two locations exists, but individual fitness and conditions determine feasibility.

Are there restaurants at the temple for Kurama-dera in Kyoto?

Mountain locations typically have limited food options. Visitors should consider carrying provisions.

Is the tengu legend presented for visitors for Kurama-dera in Kyoto?

The association exists in cultural memory, but specific on-site interpretation is not confirmed.

Do I need advance reservations for Kurama-dera in Kyoto?

The temple appears to function as a general admission site, but this is not confirmed.

Is English information available on-site for Kurama-dera in Kyoto?

Remote religious sites in Japan often have minimal foreign-language support.

Questions about visiting this season

When is the Kurama Fire Festival in 2026?

The Kurama Fire Festival takes place on Thursday 22 October 2026, from 18:00 until after midnight. Kyoto's official tourism site lists it at Yuki Shrine in Kurama and describes it as one of Kyoto's three great unusual festivals, held on 22 October every year.

Checked 2026-09-30 · Source

Where in Kurama does the fire festival take place?

The festival is held mainly at Yuki Shrine and along the Kurama Kaido road that leads to it, and it spreads across the whole village of Kurama. Kyoto's official tourism site describes the village filling with blazing pine torches while bearers repeat the chant “Sairei, sairyō”.

Checked 2026-09-30 · Source

How do I get to the Kurama Fire Festival?

Take the Eizan Railway to Kurama Station; Yuki Shrine is a 6-minute walk from the station. Kyoto's official tourism site asks visitors to use public transport, because the road into Kurama is closed to general traffic from the afternoon of the festival day.

Checked 2026-09-30 · Source

Can I drive to Kurama on the day of the fire festival?

No, from 15:00 on 22 October general vehicles are barred between Kibuneguchi and Kurama Onsen, and every car park is closed that day, so even cars arriving before 15:00 have nowhere to park. The notice on Kyoto's official tourism site asks all visitors to come by public transport.

Checked 2026-09-30 · Source

What time does the fire festival start, and how does it begin?

The fire festival begins at 18:00, when the call “Shinji ni mairasshare” is given and the stacked bonfires (eji) in front of every house in Kurama are lit at once. Children carrying small torches parade first, then young men bearing large blazing torches join them, chanting “Sairei, sairyō” as they pass on the timings to each group.

Checked 2026-10-01 · Source

What happens at the Sanmon gate during the fire festival?

The climax comes at the stone steps in front of the Sanmon gate, where young men crowd in with huge torches stood on the steps. At a drum signal, the shimenawa rope stretched on green bamboo is cut in the Shimenawa-giri ceremony, and the festival turns from a festival of torches into a festival of portable shrines (mikoshi).

Checked 2026-10-01 · Source

What is the Choppen ritual at the Kurama Fire Festival?

The Choppen ritual takes place as the portable shrines descend the Sanmon stone steps: two young men hang upside down, legs spread wide, from the shrine's carrying poles. Yuki Shrine describes it as a remnant of Kurama's traditional coming-of-age rite. Armoured warriors ride on the shrines, and women of the village pull ropes to keep them from descending too fast.

Checked 2026-10-01 · Source

What is the origin of the Kurama Fire Festival?

The festival recalls the year 940, when, by order of Emperor Suzaku, the deity Yuki Daimyōjin was moved from the imperial palace to Kurama, north of the capital, to pray for peace after earthquakes and the Taira no Masakado rebellion. The procession was lit by reed torches and bonfires and stretched about 1 kilometre; Kurama's villagers have preserved it ever since.

Checked 2026-10-01 · Source

Does the Kurama Fire Festival continue after midnight or on the next day?

Yes, after the portable shrines tour the parish they return to the otabisho, where kagura is offered and four large kagura torches circle the grounds before the rites end. On the morning of 23 October the two shrines are carried back from the otabisho to the main hall in the Kankōsai, which closes the festival.

Checked 2026-10-01 · Source

Can I get a goshuin or amulets at Yuki Shrine on the festival day?

Only for a few hours: the shrine's amulet office opens at about 11:00 after the annual rite and is scheduled to close at about 16:30, because the area in front of the Kurama Sanmon gate becomes restricted sacred ground before the festival and nobody can go above the gate. Nothing is issued before the office opens.

Checked 2026-09-30 · Source

What are Kurama-dera's normal visiting hours?

Kurama-dera's main hall is open from 9:00 to 16:15, and the temple's cable car normally runs from 8:40 for the first car up to 16:25 for the last car down, according to the temple's website. Walking the winding approach from the Sanmon gate to the main hall takes about 30 minutes.

Checked 2026-10-01 · Source

What else is Yuki Shrine known for besides the fire festival?

Yuki Shrine's haiden, rebuilt by Toyotomi Hideyori in 1607, is a rare split hall with a passage through the middle and is an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Its sacred cedar, known as “Ōsugi-san”, is about 800 years old and about 53 metres tall and is a natural monument of Kyoto City; the shrine says wishes made to it with a single heart come true.

Checked 2026-10-01 · Source