One Day in Kyoto | The Secret Path That Wants Everyone To Try It Once

Many people come to Kyoto and head to the famous landmark.

But if anyone wants to change the atmosphere, we would like to invite you to the quieter Shimogamo - Kurama - Kibune zone. Less tourist, but full of nature, and the old shrine is another day that impressed us. 🍃

⛩️ Shimogamo Shrine.

We started the day at Shimogamo Shrine. When we got off Demachiyanagi Station, we walked through the river and felt that the atmosphere of the neighborhood was very calm, the water was clear, the trees were very enjoyable.

Before reaching the shrine, you must walk through Tadasu no Mori (Tadasunomori Forest), a 2,000-year-old ancient forest that still survives in the center of Kyoto. It is considered a sacred area of the shrine and is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We personally love the atmosphere here. Walking and quiet, shady, like leaving the city.

Shimogamo Shrine itself is one of Kyoto's oldest shrines, built to worship the guardian deity of Kyoto since ancient times, and is also one of the sites of the famous Aoimatsuri Festival.

Here, there.

Mizu Mikuji. At first, it will be seen as a blank paper, but when soaked in water, the prophetic text will gradually appear. Another thing we like is the knitted flower amulet of this place that will change the pattern and color according to the season. Beautiful until choosing for a long time.

💄 Kawai Shrine.

Within the same area as the Kawai Shrine, Kawai Shrine is known for its beauty and health blessings. The shrine's gimmick is a face-shaped Ema sheet that can draw makeup, fill eyebrows, apply mouth, and hang a wish. It's another sweet spot and unlike any other.

🚃 Kurama.

Then we took the train to Kurama, and when we got out of the station, we found a large statue of Tengu, a symbol of Kurama and an angle where many people stopped to take pictures. On the way up to the temple, there were small souvenirs all the way, especially those about the snake, amulets, keychains, and souvenirs.

🥢 Yoshuji.

Before we started walking up the hill, we stopped for a meal at Yoshuji's.

In fact, I chose this restaurant because I wanted to try Shojin Ryori vegetarian food once. I felt that it matched the atmosphere of coming to pay homage to the temple. The day we went was very lucky because at first there were no customers, so I sat down to eat alone quietly. 😆 After that, people started to come in, but it wasn't as tight as the famous store downtown.

⛰️ Kurama-dera.

We went up to Kurama-dera Temple. We chose to ride the basket first to save energy because we were determined to continue walking across the mountain to Kifune Shrine. Kurama Temple is an old temple with a history of more than 1,200 years and is famous as the training place of the warrior legend Minamoto no Yoshitsune. It is said to have received training from the serpents on this mountain, thus giving this temple a mysterious and different atmosphere from other temples in Kyoto.

🌲 Walk across the mountains to Kibune.

After the tour of the temple, we walked across the mountains to Kibune. This route took some time, but the nature is beautiful. If anyone likes to hike lightly, it is definitely worth it.

⛩️ Kifune Shrine.

The final destination is Kifune Shrine.

This shrine is a shrine to the gods of the water and is famous for its stone staircase lined with red lanterns, which is a familiar sight to many people. At first, we intended to wait and watch the evening light because the atmosphere was beautiful, but finally had to hurry back because of the concern of the bus.

If anyone intends to watch the lanterns, recommend a good time because the bus is up to a few hours in the evening, which can be viewed on Google map.

For me, I choose to start from Kurama Temple first and walk to Kifune because I want to see the lantern. But if anyone wants to spend the morning at Kifune and spend time to start eating from here, I can switch the route to Kifune first and then go to Kurama as well.

✨ Summary

This trip is one of Kyoto's favorite days.

There are no places where people can't walk. Everything slowly goes through the ancient forest, stops by old shrines, tastes vegetarian food, walks across the mountains, and ends with shrines in the midst of nature.

If anyone is looking for another quieter corner of Kyoto, I think this path is perfect, a day to really rest physically and mentally. 🍃

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