Kamogawa Delta
Demachiyanagi, Kyoto
Source: ja.kyoto.travel, checked 11 Oct 2026.
The Kamo and Takano rivers meet at Demachiyanagi in a triangle of riverbank known as the Kamogawa Delta. Its stepping stones, some shaped like turtles and birds, are what it's famous for, and at weekends it fills with families and students from Kyoto and Doshisha universities. It turns up in plenty of TV dramas and anime, so some people come just for that.
Insider tip
It's right outside Demachiyanagi Station. On fine days families come to play in the river. On the night of 16 August you can see two of the Gozan Okuribi fires, Daimonji and Myoho, from the banks, so it gets crowded.
What the guides say about Kamogawa Delta
12. The shrine forests in the north. Start at the Kamogawa Delta, with its stepping stones shaped like turtles and birds, right outside Demachiyanagi Station. Walk north from its tip into Tadasu no Mori, the 12.4-hectare forest round Shimogamo Shrine, whose grounds open free at 6:30. Kamigamo Shrine opens its grounds at 5:30, also free.
What's on near Kamogawa Delta
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Kamogawa Delta, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Demon Dance at Rozan-ji
追儺式鬼法楽（廬山寺）
Time From 15:00 Station Furitsu-Idai-Byoin-mae bus stop (City Bus 4, 17, 205)
Red, blue and black demons, one for each of the three poisons, dance into the hall and try to disrupt a fire ritual until beans and prayer drive them out. Rice cakes and beans are thrown from 16:00.
663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0 Hagi Matsuri at Nashinoki Shrine
萩まつり（梨木神社）
Time Tea 10:00 to 15:00 Station Furitsu-Idai-Byoin-mae bus stop (City Bus 4, 17, 205)
More than 500 bush clover plants flower in the grounds of the shrine known as the Hagi no Miya, with visitors' poems tied to the branches. The festival weekend has archery, iaido, dance and music offerings and a tea seat for ¥1,200.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY 4.0 Shimogamo Summer Used Book Fair
下鴨納涼古本まつり
Station Tadasunomori bus stop (City Bus 4, 205), 1 min walk
Secondhand booksellers set up under the trees of the Tadasu no Mori, a forest about three times the area of Tokyo Dome, with what the organisers call probably the biggest stock of old books at any fair in Japan.
Appie Verschoor, CC BY-SA 2.0 Kyoto State Guest House Autumn Evening Opening
京都迎賓館 秋の夜間延長公開
Time Open to 19:15 (last admission 18:15) Station Imadegawa (Karasuma Line), exit 3, 15 min walk
For four days the State Guest House stays open into the evening, when its shoji screens glow like big lanterns over the central pond. There's no booking or guide, children of primary school age and younger can't enter, and you'll want a torch for the dark walk through the Imperial Park.
Indiana jo, CC BY-SA 4.0 Nearby
Around Demachiyanagi
Stepping stones, a shrine forest and the trains to Kurama
Demachiyanagi is where the Kamo and Takano rivers meet, and where the Keihan line from Osaka ends. Come up out of the station and the Kamogawa Delta is right there, with stepping stones shaped like turtles and birds. Walk north from its tip and you're in Tadasu no Mori, the forest round Shimogamo Shrine. Eizan trains for Kurama and the foot of Mt Hiei leave from the platforms above ground.
Demachiyanagi has 15 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shrines and temples, 2 landmarks, 2 parks and gardens, 2 cafes, 1 shop, 1 neighbourhood, 1 restaurant and 1 bathhouse. Read the Demachiyanagi guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Kamogawa Delta?
- Shimogamo Miyakawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区下鴨宮河町).
- How do I get to Kamogawa Delta?
- The nearest station is Demachiyanagi (Keihan, Eizan). Kamogawa Delta is in Demachiyanagi, Kyoto.
- How much does Kamogawa Delta cost?
- Nothing. Kamogawa Delta is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Kamogawa Delta?
- Plan for 30 min.
- When is the best time to visit Kamogawa Delta?
- Late afternoon.
Stay near Kamogawa Delta
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