Wanderlust - 04.2020

40 wanderlust.co.ukApril 2020

EXPLORE EXPERIENCES

Kyoto

Hiketoamountaintempleortrytheart

ofzenmeditationinthe‘TopCityfor2020’,

asvotedbyyouinourReaderTravelAwards

HiketoKuramaTemple

Kyotoisdottedwithbeautiful

temples,butfewtravellersventure

beyondthecitywalls.Thisis

anoversight,asabout 15 kilometres

northofKyotoyou’llfindthe

8th-centuryKurama-Deraperched

nearthepeakofamountain,

shroudedinancientforest.

Toreachthetop,firsttake

a 30-minute train ride from the city

to the pretty riverside settlement of

Kibune village. From here, the real

ascent begins: a 40-minute climb

up a lantern-lined stairway, leading

you towards the Buddhist temple

through the cedar trees.

From the peak, the view unfolds,

revealing the undulating hills that

surround Kyoto. As you stand there,

listening to the chime of the temple

bell ring across the valley, you’ll feel

lik e you’re the only person in Japan.

TRY THIS...

After descending back to Kibune,

enjoy lunch on the bank of the river,

before visiting the local onsen

(a Japanese hot spring bath). Lie back

and soak in the experience – it’s

a deserving way to end a tough hike.

6 hours, from £82; moderate level of

fi tness required; govoyagin.com

Words

Olivia Lee

Images

Shutterstock; Alamy

Alternatively...

Walk Gion at night

Take an evening stroll around

Kyoto’s traditional neighbourhood,

Gion, where the soft glow of

lanterns lights the narrow, cobbled

alleys. If you’re lucky, you might

catch the colourful fl ash of

a geisha (pictured above) – the

immaculately made-up women

who still work as entertainers in

Gion’s many wooden teahouses.

1 hour 40 minutes, from £9;

getyourguide.co.uk

Make beautiful bentos

In Japan, the humble bento

(lunchbox) isn’t just a meal, it’s

a work of art – each dish refl ecting

the eff ort that went into

its creation. At this

hands-on workshop,

learn how to make

popular bento

snacks such

as tamagoyaki

(rolled omelettes)

and crispy tempura, before

tucking into your own labour of

love. You’ll also learn how this

small box became synonymous

with Japanese lunches.

3 hours 30 minutes, 8,500JPY/£60;

daily at 9.30am; cooking-sun.com

Try zen meditation

Few other cities do ‘zen’ quite

like Kyoto. Channel that sense

of tranquillity as you learn the

art of zazen, or zen meditation,

from a Buddhist monk at one of

Kyoto’s oldest temples, Tofukuji.

After a meditation session on

the tatami mats, put your new

zen skills to the test in the

temple grounds, full of vibrant

maple trees and intricate

rock gardens.

2 hours 30 minutes, £50;

magical-trip.com

High & mighty

After what feels

like a Stairmaster

session, you reach

Kurama Temple (above)