It’s raining today, but last weekend the weather was perfect! I had to work on Saturday (I was one of the teachers who tested students in the oral examinations to study abroad), but on Sunday I had a chance to go hiking with a friend in the mountains north of Kyoto. First we took the Keihan train, and then we switched to the Eizan Line until Iwakura station. We were planning on hiking from Iwakura station to Kurama Onsen, but we got lost in the mountains! We ended up hiking to the top of Minogaura-dake Mountain, but we weren’t planning on it! However, it was okay because there were some really beautiful view from the top of the mountain. We then wandered through the woods until we found another trail that led to the source of the Iwakura River. We were very excited to find the source of the river. The water was pure and cold as it came out of the side of the mountain. We then walked beside the river along a very old trail. There were a couple of bridges on the trail, but they were so old the the wood had almost completely rotted away and they were falling apart. It was really scary trying to cross them, and I was worried that I would fall into the river, but luckily I didn’t fall in. Finally we found a real road. We walked into Kyoto, and then took the subway. On the way home, my friend and I stopped at Kappa Sushi. After all that hiking we need some food for energy! It was great because Kappa Sushi was having a special. All the dishes were 20% larger than usual. I ate a lot of sushi!!! Anyway, becareful hiking in the mountains north of Kyoto – it’s easy to get lost!