Japan is a country full of mountains and a trekking heaven, even a short hike would be refreshing to the soul.
In my first trip to Japan, I did 2 short hikes in 2 different outskirts of the country, one in the outskirts of Kyoto and the other, outskirts of Tokyo, both are well known for autumn color.
Kurama Kibune Hills are located around 1 hour from Kyoto. The easier trek starts from Kurama temple, passing by Kifune shrine, ending at Kibunegushi station. But I started from the opposite direction. The trek wines through the green forests with lots of tree roots on the floor. The whole trek takes about 3 hours.
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| A walk along a road before the hike |
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| Rover by the road |
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| Autumn foliage |
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| Start of the hike at Kibune |
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| Up and up |
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| Kifune shrine |
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| More autumn foliage |
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| The serene trek |
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| Time to rest |
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| Kurama-dera temple |
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| Kurama Town |
Takao Shan is located around 2 hours from Tokyo. It is also one of the places where the red autumn color leaves can be seen. From the bottom to the peak, it took around 2 hours. The trail is a wider open trail with partial sheds from the trees. From far away, Mt Fuji stands majestically with snow capped peak.
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| At the foothill |
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| Nearing the peak |
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| Sea of people |
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| Mt Fuji from afar |
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| Spectacular autumn color |
