Kyoto Sights
- Overview
- Places to Explore
- Sights
- Restaurants
- Hotels
- Entertainment
- Shopping
- Travel Tips
- Features
- Fodor's Choice
- Deals
- Japanese Phrases
- Guidebooks
Guidebooks
Kamigamo Jinja
Kamigamo Jinja Review
One of Kyoto's oldest shrines, Kamigamo Jinja is a terrific example of rich Heian architecture. With charming bridges, sand sculptures, and vermilion gateways, Kamigamo Jinja, was built in the 8th century by the Kamo family, has always been associated with Kamo Wakeikazuchi, a god of thunder, rain, and fertility. Now the shrine is famous for its annual horserace, held on May 5, and its hollyhock festival, which started in the 6th century when people thought that the Kamigamo deities were angry at being neglected. Held on May 15, it includes 500 people in Heian period costumes processing on horseback or in ox-drawn carriages. On June 30 is a purification ritual in which throngs of people cast paper effigies into the river beneath the flickering glare of charcoal braziers. The canal street that leads up to the shrine has many machiya, and some of these elongated town houses are more than 400 years old. To get to the shrine, take Bus 9 north Kamigamojinja-mae or Kamigamo Misono-bashi. Or take the subway north to Kitayama Station, from which the shrine is 20 minutes on foot northwest.
- Address: 339 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto, 603-8047 | Map It
- Cost: Free
- Hours: Daily 9-4:30
- Location: Northern Kyoto
Contact Information
Travel Deals in Kyoto
- Asia & Pacifc Fares from NYC (R/T incl. Tax) Emirates
- Tokyo 5-Night Trip from NYC incl. Tax, Save $260 IACE Travel
- Exotic Cities on Top Airline (Roundtrip w/Tax) — $830 Emirates
- Japan Experience — $4,669 IExplore
· Forums Trip Reports
-
TRIP REPORT – JAPAN AUTUMN 2011
From Oct. Read more -
Last week the Smith family did a classic roadtrip in the Chubu region of central Honshu. Read more
·Japan Forum
-
My travelling companion and I are planning a self drive holiday in Japan in early April; primarily to see the sakura, experience onsen at the highlands in central Honshu.
Some questions :
1) is it bette Read more
· Travel Blog
-
Travel Tip of the Day
This pass offers unlimited travel on Japan Railways (JR) trains... Read more
-
Last Minute Travel
Japan's warm fall days—without summer's humidity or winter's dampness—and dazzling foliage... Read more