Shimogamo-jinja and Tadasu no Mori

It opens at 6:30, free of charge, and before the shrine there is a whole forest to walk through.

You arrive on foot from Demachiyanagi, from the south, and that is the right way: it means you walk through Tadasu no Mori instead of skipping it. It is a broadleaf forest that has survived inside the city, with a stream cutting through it and trees centuries old; it is twelve minutes in the shade, and then the main gate appears. The grounds open at 6:30 and there is no charge.

One of the two Kamo shrines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It stands at the far end of Tadasu no Mori, the broadleaf forest left in the middle of the city. On 15 May the *Aoi matsuri* arrives here, the procession in ancient court dress that sets out from the Imperial Palace; in the days before, horseback archery (3 May), the purification of the priestess (4 May), ritual archery (5 May) and the Mikage matsuri (12 May) are held.

ℹ️ Free admission; the main gate opens at 6:30 and closes at 17:00, Kawai Shrine at 16:30. Prayers are accepted from 9:00 to 16:30, without booking. No closing days. It is best to arrive from the south, on foot from Demachiyanagi (twelve minutes), so that you walk through the forest; by bus, lines 1 and 205. ⚠️ Do not come by car: the shrine itself asks visitors to use public transport, and its car park to the west costs ¥500 for the first hour and ¥300 for every half hour after that, with a maximum height of 2.3 metres. ⚠️ The Mitarashi matsuri is stated as ‘in mid-July, for thirteen days’, with no precise date.

🚉 Demachiyanagi · 3 min walk

Sources: shimogamo-jinja.or.jp · shimogamo-jinja.or.jp

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