The Kyoto Isshu Trail, 京都一周トレイル (Kyoto Circuit Trail) is a hiking trail in the mountains around the edge of Kyoto city. Although the name basically translates as ‘Kyoto circuit trail’, it doesn’t actually consist of a full loop because Kyoto has mountains on three sides – the valley is open to the south (where the southern edge of Kyoto meets neighbouring Osaka and Nara). This means the Isshu trail goes around the city’s eastern, Northern, and Western edges, mostly in the mountains and mostly in the forest, but in a couple of places also passing through some farming areas (i.e. rice paddies) and outlying residential districts, and includes Kyoto’s most famous mountain (Mt Hiei). The trail also takes you to (or close to) some of Kyoto’s most important shrines and temples, including Fushimi Inari shrine (the eastern end of the trail), Enryaku-ji (on the summit of Mt. Hiei), and Nanzen-ji. It consists of 4 sections, fully signposted:
Nishiyama course, 西山コース (western mountains)
Kitayama Nishibu course, 北山西部コース (northern mountains, western section)
Kitayama Toubu course, 北山東部コース (northern mountains, eastern section)
Higashiyama course, 東山コース (eastern mountains)
(official website https://kyoto-trail.net/trail_home.html )
