After a week of Japanese efficiency, we had our leisurely trip to parkrun planned beautifully – breakfast at the hotel, a couple of trains, a 1k warm up and ready for the briefing. We arrived at Kyoto station ready for our final train and it quickly became clear that something wasn’t right – station guards had a look of panic that we hadn’t seen in Japan, we’re shooing people off platforms and closing ticket gates. We hot footed out of there, figuring no parkrun was worth being caught in a major incident for. We learned later that there had been a suspicious package at the station that had shut down the city’s train network for hours…
After a few minutes of ‘now what?’, we figured a cab might just get us there in time. Parkrun – 5k free forever, unless you have to pay over $70 in a cab to get there! We arrived with seconds to spare (this parkrun starts ON TIME) with a bunch of other tourists that had experienced a similar adventure.
It was a beautiful cool morning to run one of the most unique courses – 1.25k out and back along the lake x4. The most efficient way to run a small parkrun as it requires minimal volunteers and ensures maximum cheering! I’ve also found a new favourite post-run snack in the past week, the 7-eleven pancakes with maple syrup and margarine. So bad, and yet so good!
The parkrun is in Otsu, a little town that seems a long way from Kyoto. There’s a little 2 car train that comes through, quaint cushions on the station seats, and some connection with wattle in the local coffee shop that reminds us that this climate is not dissimilar to Sydney.
We mapped out a course for the day that involved a trail walk from a little village, a couple of trains and a bus off the beaten track. I love these moments where we get to explore the places and daily life that most tourists never see. Definitely didn’t expect to find tulips along the way!
Our trail started through a bamboo forest. The height that it grows to is incredible! It was a steep climb up the Western side of Mt Inari.
The top of Mt Inari is the Fushimi-Inari Taisha Shrine that dates back to the 8th century. It’s a Shinto shrine, known for the thousands of orange toril gates that stand over trails behind and between the main buildings. Inari is the Shinto god of rice, and this is one of many shrines that are dedicated to them.
The gates are donated by organisations and individuals and each have the donors name and date of donation. Apparently the large gates represent donations of 1,000,000¥ (~$11,000), so given the number of gates this is a pretty lucrative site!
Foxes are seen throughout the grounds as they were thought to be Inari’s messengers. They are particularly prevalent at the smaller shrines, where individuals have also donated smaller toril gates. The orange against the greenery is striking.
From the top of the mountain there great views over Kyoto. It’s dense and flat with about half the population of Brisbane in about 1/20th of the space. Compact!
Most tourists come up the Western side which is considered to be a moderately easy pleasant hike. There’s some creative licence being used… 233m elevation of stairs is not easy up or down! With a lot of patience we managed photos without too many fellow tourists in them, the reality was that this place was packed!
Of course it wouldn’t be a day in Kyoto without a dose of cherry blossoms 🌸 This area known as the Philosophers Path, named after a Kyoto University professor who walked the path every day for meditation. It’s in full bloom right now, but the blossoms are starting to fall. It will look completely different in a week.
Dinner… Udon noodles with tempura. So much good food to finish a day with so many steps!
Love M & A xx
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