Shimogamo Shrine

Shimogamo Shrine, officially Kamo-mioya-jinja, is one of the oldest and most revered Shinto shrines in Japan, believed to date from the sixth century, before Kyoto became the capital. It stands where the Takano and Kamo rivers meet in northern Kyoto, and together with Kamigamo Shrine upstream it has long been regarded as a protector of the city. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto. The approach is the experience: a long, straight gravel path through Tadasu no Mori, the Forest of Correction, a sacred woodland of broadleaf trees, some of them centuries old, saved as the city modernized. Streams wind among the trunks, and the light filters green and gold; in summer, the forest is noticeably cooler than the city. Traditionally the forest was a place where lies were exposed and disputes settled, and it still feels like a place to slow down and think. At the end of the path, a vermilion gate opens onto the shrine compound, with its graceful halls; the twin main sanctuaries are National Treasures, renewed periodically in a long cycle of repair. The shrine's deities include the guardian of the city and his daughter, and couples come to pray at the paired trees joined into one, a symbol of matchmaking. Within the precincts, Kawai Shrine is dedicated to beauty and sells mirror-shaped wooden prayer plaques that visitors decorate with their own faces. Shimogamo is free to visit and open daily. Early mornings here are especially serene, with few visitors and birdsong in the trees.

Festivals and rituals. Shimogamo hosts some of Kyoto's oldest ceremonies. On May 3, yabusame, horseback archery, is performed by riders in Heian-era costume, galloping down the forest path and shooting at targets. On May 15, the Aoi Matsuri, one of Kyoto's three great festivals, processes from the Imperial Palace via Shimogamo to Kamigamo, with participants in court dress decorated with hollyhock leaves. In summer, during the Mitarashi Festival, visitors wade barefoot in the cold spring water of the Mitarashi pond to wash away impurities and pray for health, a refreshing ritual on a hot day. The shrine's Mitarashi pond also gave its name to mitarashi dango, the sweet soy-glazed rice dumplings sold across Japan, which you can buy from a shop near the shrine.

The Kamo delta. Just south of the shrine, where the two rivers merge to become the Kamo River, the triangular Kamo delta is one of Kyoto's favorite outdoor spaces. Lines of stepping stones, some shaped like turtles and plovers, cross the shallow water, and families, students and couples hop across, picnic on the banks and watch the herons. On a sunny day, buy snacks in nearby Demachi, walk the forest and the shrine, then sit by the river. It is the best low-cost, local-feeling half day in the city.

Getting there. Demachiyanagi Station, on the Keihan line and the terminus of the Eizan railway to Kurama and Kibune, is about ten minutes' walk south of the shrine, so it combines easily with a mountain trip. Several city buses stop at the Shimogamo-jinja-mae and Tadasu-no-mori-mae stops. Allow an hour for the forest and shrine, more with the delta. The Kyoto Imperial Palace and Kyoto Gyoen lie a short walk across the river to the southwest. Photographers love the forest path in the early morning, when shafts of light fall through the canopy and the gravel is freshly raked. In winter, the bare trees reveal the streams winding through the forest, and the quiet is profound. Bring cash for the small fees at sub-shrines and for charms or prayer plaques. Above all, take your time: Shimogamo rewards visitors who slow down, sit on a bench under the trees and simply listen to the water.