About half an hour north of Kyoto on the train, Kurama is a great place to get out of the city for a half day. Walk past the huge goblin's head at Kurama station and you come to a handful of shops and cafes, then the entrance to the temple, from which it's an undemanding walk up to the main buildings.
On the way up and from the top, you'll be afforded a beautiful view of the hills nearby, even better in fall when the leaves are turning. Then if you want, you can walk into the atmospheric forest behind the temple, where you'll find floors of exposed roots and solitary shrines, moody and austere.
