Kifune is a picturesque village in the mountains north of Kyoto. Not too many people know this Kyoto day trip, but for Chinese tourists it is already famous due to the Chinese Tik Tok. The village stretches out along a nice river with waterfalls, the famous Kamo river. A lot of paper lanterns are hanging over the river and light it up beautifully. Kifune dates back around 1600 years. It became known in recent years as the village where you can have lunch on a waterfall in the middle of a forest. Be aware that the restaurants serve mostly traditional Japanese food.
Klook offers day trips in summer to Kifune and surrounding sights. This includes an arranged so-called Kawadoko dining experience on the waterfall. You can book it here: klook – Kyoto Day Trip. On the Klook page you will also find some nice pictures of the scenery of dining on the waterfall. When we were there it was a rainy day which gave the mountains and the forest a very mystical atmosphere, but unfortunately the dining on the waterfalls was not possible. Therefore check the weather forecast before you go there.
Extended Kyoto day trip: Visit Kurama-dera
Kifune is a good destination after the hike on mount Kurama. In the Kifune shrine hundreds of colorful paper prayers are hanging in tree which is a really beautiful sight. They are all burned every year on the 9th of March at the old Ema burning ceremony.
As you can see the Shrine can be quite crowded in summer and therefore is a little too touristic for my taste. The hiking tour on Kurama on the other hand really is perfect to relax. There you can enjoy the peaceful nature and in summer escape into cooler temperatures.
Arigato gozaimasu for reading.
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