Cycling Kyoto Kitayama to Kamigamo Shrine

自転車で北山から上賀茂神社へ

This week's cycling route is yet another Kitayama route.

Kitayama is a lovely area in north Kyoto and is north of downtown Kyoto.

A short bike ride north of Kitayama Subway Station, on the Kurasuma line, is Ota Shrine. This is a tiny Shinto shrine nestled against a mountain side. It is best known for its irises, which bloom in May.

From Ota Shrine, it is less than five minutes on bike to one of the city's most beautiful streets. Priests and others affiliated to Kamigamo Shrine live in large compounds behind walls that are separated from the road by a canal.

Just down the street from here is Kamigamo Shrine. Built in 678 C.E., it is a World Heritage Site and one of the oldest shrines in Kyoto. It has an expansive green lawn that is used in an annual Yabusame event - archery on horseback - during the Aoi Festival.

Back near Kitayama Station, is the elegant tree-lined boulevard Kitayama Dori. Next to the subway exit is the Kyoto Botanical Gardens. There is a small entrance fee. The land was given to the city by the Mitsui family in the 1913, and is spacious and beautiful.

Ride, Kamigamo, ride.

Information

Kamigamo Shrine
339 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto
075 781 0011

Entrance Fee: Free

Ota Shrine
340 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto
075-781-0907

Entrance Fee: Free

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