Japan September 2017: Kurama, Kibune Nagashi Soumen (鞍馬、貴船: 流しそうめん)

（すみません、日本語があまり上手じゃない。）
I wanted very much to try kawadoko dining (dining above the river) which is only available in summer so I planned a trip to Kibune via a hike from Kurama.　

To get to Kurama from Kyoto, take the Nara line to Toufukuji, change to Keihan line to Demachiyanagi then take the Eiden to Kurama, the final stop. The entire journey takes about an hour. Don't believe websites that tell you it's "30 min from Kyoto". It's actually 30 mins from Demachiyanagi.　

From Kurama, it's a 2-3 hour hike to Kibuneguchi. The hike is easy and is about half ascent and half descent with toilets and vending machines nearer to Kurama side. It's possible to go both ways although we see more people going from Kurama to Kibuneguchi. This could be because there are more restaurants at Kibune area so it's nice to end your hike with a meal. Even though it's September, the hike is comfortable because it's mostly cool and some parts are breezy.

京都の川床を食べたいから、鞍馬から貴船までハイキングした。京都駅から、奈良線に乗って、東福寺駅へ行って、京阪線に乗り換え、出町柳駅へ行って、エイデンに乗り換え、終点は鞍馬だ。時間は1時間かかる。鞍馬からハイキングルートをして、2ー3時間ほど貴船に到着する。夏だけど、天気は良かった。ちょっと涼しく風で、とっても楽しかった。

Once you reach Kibune, you will pass many restaurants offering kawadoko meals at exorbitant prices. At a minimum of ¥6500 for something that should cost only less than half the price, I feel that these are really quite a rip-off. 　

For a more interesting experience, walk in about 15 minutes to Hirobun ひろ文 and get a number plate for nagashi soumen. The wait can be 2-2.5 hours so you should get a number before sightseeing around the place. You pay ¥1300 per person and they give you a fan with your number.

貴船に到着、いろんな川床レストランがあるのに、値段が高すぎると思った。もっと15分ぐらい歩いて、ひろ文レストランがある。このレストランで流しそうめんを食べることができる。並び時間は2時間以上、一人1300円を払って、番号を持って、観光した方がいいよ。

My main concern was people double-dipping and having to eat strangers' saliva so I prayed that I'll be first in the line of flowing soumen. My concern is actually unfounded because they actually have an excellent system (they are Japanese! How can they tolerate eating strangers' saliva!). There are 5 separate tubes for 5 groups of people, in two clusters of 2 and 3 each. The group seated on the left uses the inner tube.

実は「流しそうめんが汚ない？知らない一人と一緒に食べるかどうか？」と思って、心配していた。一番左の横方がいいかなあ。でも、家族や友達なら、一本を使って、大丈夫だよ！(o^^o) 良かった！

Although it's a very interesting experience, I felt that the place was rather touristy and I'm not sure whether I'll come again in summer. It's kind of like a been there done that for me. As for the kawadoko, there's something for everyone but you can't have your cake and eat it too. Cheap, kawadoko, fast: 3 choose 2. You either have to wait for a long time (nagashi soumen), pay for the expensive kawadoko sets or choose a restaurant with regular prices but without kawadoko experience. But I may try coming in autumn as I can imagine the momiji will be very beautiful.

面白かっただが、観光客が多くて、食べ物も高すぎて、一回以上行きたくない。でも、秋の景色は美しいかもしれない。

Access:
To get to Kurama from Kyoto, take the Nara line to Toufukuji, change to Keihan line to Demachiyanagi then take the Eiden to Kurama, the final stop. The entire journey takes about an hour. Don't believe websites that tell you it's "30 min from Kyoto". It's actually 30 mins from Demachiyanagi.
From Kibune Shrine, we took a bus (¥140) to Kibuneguchi station where we made the trip back to Kyoto. It's also possible to walk (about 30 min).

アクセス：
京都駅から、奈良線に乗って、東福寺駅へ行って、京阪線に乗り換え、出町柳駅へ行って、エイデンに乗り換え、終点は鞍馬だ。時間は1時間かかる。
貴船からバス（１４０円）で貴船口駅へ行って、京都へ帰った。