Just outside of the beautiful temples, bustling markets, and timeless traditions of Japan’s ancient capital lies a hidden treasure waiting to be explored – Kyoto’s diverse hiking trails. Away from the well-trodden paths of tourist hotspots, these trails wind through lush forests, past old shrines, and ascend to breathtaking viewpoints, offering a unique perspective of the city’s natural beauty and cultural heritage.

Each trail is an invitation to connect with nature and culture. Whether you’re tracing the footsteps of ancient pilgrims or forging your path through pristine forests, the trails of Kyoto promise an experience that you’ll never forget. Just the (half) day trip you’re looking for? Then lace up your hiking boots and step onto one of the below mentioned trails. Whether you’re an avid hiker seeking challenging terrain or a leisurely explorer looking for peaceful strolls, this guide to Kyoto’s best hiking trails will give you what you’re looking for!

Fushimi Inari

Picture yourself at the iconic Fushimi Inari Shrine, where a vibrant sea of vermilion torii gates stretches ahead through the bright green forest, leading to the top of Mount Inari. Here, panoramic views of Kyoto city await. The experience isn’t just a hike; it’s more of a spiritual journey, a connection to centuries of tradition.

The hike starts at the shrine itself where you can expect many visitors and tourists. When you pass the shrine grounds and make your way to the left, you will find a path of Torii gates on your right hand side. The path continues through the forest and splits after about half an hour. While most people make their way back down at this point, it is definitely worth it to continue to the top of Mount Inari. Along the way, you’ll find smaller shrines and statues where you can stop and rest. The hike takes about 2-3 hours, and when you reach the top, you’ll see a beautiful view of Kyoto. It’s a special place where you can enjoy nature, learn about Japan’s traditions, and take lots of cool photos!

I recommend you bring some snacks. While you will find some restaurants during your hike, some of them won’t be open and usually the prices are pretty high.

To get there, take a train to Fushimi Inari station and simply walk towards the shrine. You will see many signs showing the hiking map.

• Time: 2-3 hours
• Difficulty: easy/moderate (steep, but stairs all the way)

Hieisan

For those seeking a historical and cultural immersion, the trails around Mount Hiei are one of the best options. Here, the echoes of ancient monks’ footsteps resonate as you walk the trails, passing through temples and lush woodlands. Mount Hiei offers beautiful hiking, but also a passage through time due to its history…

Hieisan is the second heighest mountain of Kyoto city. It has a high historic value for the city since it is the home of the marathon monks and the famous Enryaku-ji Temple (another Kyoto-based world heritage sight). The marathon monks don’t just run a marathon – they complete a 7 year process in which they walk 40km a day for 100 consecutive days during the first 3 years, while the 4th and the 5th year they walk 40 km a day for 200 days, the 6th year they walk 60 km per day for 100 days and in the last year 84 km per day, for another 100 days followed by 100 days of walking 40 km’s again. Well, that was a mouthfull, however, in short this process is called Kaihōgyō (circling the mountain). As far as I read, only 46 people have completed this process in the past 130 years as it must take amazing spiritual devotion and strength. If you want to learn more about it, check out this blog on trailrunnermag.com.

Luckily for you, hiking mount Hiei is a lot less strenuous. Even though the hike takes quite some time (about 3 hours up), it is a great way to enjoy nature and get out of the city. There’s a small opportunity to see wildlife (monkeys, salamanders, birds etc), beautiful trees and of course the ancient Enryaku-ji.

There are many ways to get to the top of Mount Hiei, both from the east and the west side of the mountain. If coming from the west, one of the shortest options is to take a train to Shugakuin station. From here you can start your hike up. To get back, you can take the cable car/ropeway, a bus, or walk either the same way you came or go down the other side of the mountain towards Sakomoto. The entrance of the path is pretty hard to find, but around here there’s a path that leads up the mountain https://goo.gl/maps/Sqz8qTLc7JA2.

To get there you can take the train to Shugakuin station (from Demachiyanagi), walk a little bit north and then follow the river to the east. If I remember correctly you cross the water and after a while you’ll see a small path leading into the forest. This path will look somewhat run down, but it is definitely the path you have to be on. Just follow the signs and/or ask other hikers on the way if you are unsure about where to go.

Another option is to follow the much longer Isshu route for which you will start the ascend from the Silver temple and descend to Ohara.

When reaching the mid section of the mountain (where you can switch between cable car and rope way), you’ll have a great view of the mountains surrounding Kyoto and of Kyoto city itself. On the top of the mountain you can see the beautiful Lake Biwa, the largest freshwater lake in Japan.

Make sure you bring enough water and some lunch since you only be able to get some food when you reach the top. Also I would recommend to wear comfortable hiking shoes since you’ll be making your way through the forest going up.

• Time: 6 hours return from Shugakuin
• Difficulty: moderate

If you don’t want to hike, but want to visit the temple and the museum, just take the cable car and ropeway up. To get there, take the train from Demachiyanagi station towards Yasehieizanguchi.

Daimon-ji

The shortest hike in this list makes for a good side trip if you visit the north-east side of Kyoto. The Daimon-ji hike starts near Ginkaku-ji (Silver Pavilion), a Zen temple with beautiful gardens. As you ascend, you’ll encounter steep sections and stone pathways through lush forests. The trail features large stone characters spelling “大” (dai), illuminated during the Obon festival in August. At the top you will see stunning panoramic views of Kyoto, especially at sunrise or sunset. The hike holds cultural significance during Obon, with bonfires guiding ancestral spirits in five places around Kyoto city. You can extend the hike to Fushimi Inari Shrine for an extra experience. Descend the same way or take a loop trail back to Ginkaku-ji.

The hike up Daimon-ji only takes about 30 minutes, but it’s offers a good work-out with an ascent of 220 meters. To find the start is a little bit tricky, but just head up to the entrance of Gingkaku-ji Temple. Don’t enter the temple though! Before the main gate, turn left and walk towards the two stone torii you’ll see, but turn right just before the first one, keep walking while passing a bike parking spot. When you get to a fork in the road, keep a small shrine you see to your left and walk up to a parking spot. Cross the parking ground and enter the woods. From here you can make your way up Daimon-Ji.

• Time: 1 hour return
• Difficulty: moderate (steep)

Takao – Hozukyo

My absolute favorite hike in Kyoto, and one of my favorites in Japan. Eight years ago my friends and I went here during autumn so we could enjoy the beautiful Momiji and even got to eat some fresh Momiji tempura. This year I came back in summer, twice! The hike is stunning in every season.

The hike starts at Takao, a village in the northwest of Kyoto. If you want, you can start this hike with a visit to two beautiful temples there, or just hop straight on the trail and take a dip in the cool river (in summer!). The hike is absolutely beautiful and follows a gorge from Takao to Hozukyo, and even in the summer heat it’s relatively cool due to the thick foliage. The trail is easy, relatively flat (except for the last part) and really accessible with public transportation.

To get to Takao, hop on a bus to Toganoo (栂の尾) from Kyoto station and get off after about 45 minutes at Takao bus stop. From here, walk back a little bit and follow the signs to go down the stairs for Jingo-ji and the hiking course. If you want to go to the first temple, turn right before crossing the bridge, but if you want to go straight to the trail and/or Jingo-ji, cross the bridge and you will see steps going up in front of you on the right, and a path next to the river on your left. To start the hike, take the path on the left, to go to Jingo-ji, take the stairs on the right.

To continue the hike in the right direction, just keep following the river. After a couple of minutes you’ll have to cross a bridge leading you to the other side of the river. You’ll stay on this side for a while and after that just follow the signs or ask some people along the way. The last part follows a car road and is a little bit steeper and more exposed. After 2-3 hourse you end up at Hozukyo JR station, where you can get the train back to Arashiyama, Nijo castle or Kyoto station. The train leaves about every 20 minutes.

You’ll walk for about 3-5h so again, bring enough snacks and lunch for this trip, and if possible, download a hiking map for example with the app Mapy.cz. The trail is quite easy, but don’t start too late, because you won’t want to be walking here and encounter a bear in the dark.

• Time: 3-5 hours
• Difficulty: Easy/Moderate

Did you enjoy this guide to Kyoto’s best hikes, do you have any questions or do you want to add another trail? Let me know in the comments below!