Shrine · Kamigamo / Kita Ward

Kamigamo Shrine 上賀茂神社

Kyoto's oldest shrine and a World Heritage Site, where two cone-shaped sand mounds stand before the worship hall and a stream runs through the precinct beside the shrine priests' houses.

About

Kamigamo Jinja, officially Kamo-wakeikazuchi Jinja, enshrines the god of thunder and has protected the land since before the founding of Heian-kyo. Its broad lawn, vermilion Romon gate and cedar-bark roofs have an almost rural calm. In front of the Hosodono hall stand the tatesuna, two perfectly shaped cones of sand representing the sacred mountain Koyama where the deity descended, and the origin of the salt cones placed at doorways for purification. The Honden and Gonden halls are National Treasures and can be seen on special guided visits. The Nara-no-ogawa stream flows through the grounds, and just outside, the Shake-machi district preserves the earthen-walled houses of former shrine priests along a canal. The Aoi Matsuri procession ends here on 15 May, and there is a monthly handmade market on the fourth Sunday.

Highlights

• Tatesuna sand cones before the Hosodono
• Vermilion Romon gate and cedar-bark roofs
• National Treasure Honden on guided visits
• Shake-machi priest houses along a stream
• Tezukuri-ichi handmade market on fourth Sundays

Tips

• The special visit to the inner halls with a priest is worth the extra fee.
• Buy suguki pickles, a Kamigamo speciality, in the shops by the gate.
• Bus 4 from Kyoto Station or 46 from Shijo; or walk 20 minutes along the Kamo river from Kitayama Station.
• Yakimochi at Jinbado, a famous grilled mochi shop, is opposite the shrine (cash only, closes early).

Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09

Nearby

• Kamigamo Shake-machiPhoto Spot · 280 m away
• Omiya Kotsu ParkPark · 1.1 km away
• Kyoto Concert HallLive Music & Karaoke · 1.3 km away
• Kyoto Botanical GardenGarden · 1.7 km away
• Aburi Mochi KazariyaCafé & Sweets · 1.9 km away
• Imamiya ShrineShrine · 1.9 km away
• Daitoku-ji and SubtemplesTemple · 1.9 km away
• Hide ZushiSushi & Seafood · 2.0 km away