Kawai Shrine
Demachiyanagi, Kyoto
- Daily
- 6:30 to 16:30
Times can change for ceremonies.
Source: shimogamo-jinja.or.jp, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Kawai Shrine is a branch of Shimogamo at the south end of Tadasu no Mori, and people come to its goddess, Tamayori-hime, to pray for beauty. You buy a wooden plaque shaped like a hand mirror, make up the face drawn on it with your own cosmetics, and write your wish on the back. Kamo no Chomei, who wrote Hojoki, grew up here as the son of one of its priests.
Insider tip
It's free, and its gate shuts at 16:30, half an hour before the main shrine's. A mirror fortune costs ¥500. In the same precinct, Tobe-sha honours Yatagarasu, the crow that's been the Japan Football Association's emblem since 1931.
What's on near Kawai Shrine
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Kawai Shrine, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
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 Mori no Tezukuri-ichi Craft Market at Shimogamo Shrine (October)
森の手づくり市～秋の特別編2026～
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Shimogamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 205)
Craft stalls selling accessories, woodwork, leather, ceramics, cloth goods and sweets line Shimogamo Shrine's approach and the Tadasu no Mori forest, with food trucks and acoustic sets. It goes ahead in rain unless Kyoto has a storm warning.
Appie Verschoor, CC BY-SA 2.0 Mori no Tezukuri-ichi Craft Market at Shimogamo Shrine (November)
森の手づくり市～秋の特別編2026～
Time 10:00 to 16:00 Station Shimogamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 205)
Craft stalls selling accessories, woodwork, leather, ceramics, cloth goods and sweets line Shimogamo Shrine's approach and the Tadasu no Mori forest over two days, with food trucks and acoustic sets. It goes ahead in rain unless Kyoto has a storm warning.
Appie Verschoor, CC BY-SA 2.0 Kemari Hajime at Shimogamo Shrine
蹴鞠はじめ
Station Shimogamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 205)
Players keep a ball in the air with their feet at Shimogamo Shrine, the year's first game of kemari, the old court football.
Appie Verschoor, CC BY-SA 2.0 Nagashibina Doll Floating at Shimogamo Shrine
流し雛（下鴨神社）
Time From 10:30, the floating at about 11:00 Station Shimogamo-jinja-mae bus stop (City Bus 4, 205)
A man and woman dressed as Heian dolls float small dolls on straw mats down the Mitarashi stream to carry away bad luck, and afterwards you can float one yourself (the mats are sold).
Appie Verschoor, CC BY-SA 2.0 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 Kawai Shrine?
- 59 Shimogamo Izumikawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市左京区下鴨泉川町59).
- What are the opening hours of Kawai Shrine?
- Daily 6:30 to 16:30. Times can change for ceremonies.
- How do I get to Kawai Shrine?
- The nearest station is Demachiyanagi (Keihan, Eizan). Kawai Shrine is in Demachiyanagi, Kyoto.
- How much does Kawai Shrine cost?
- Nothing. Kawai Shrine is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Kawai Shrine?
- Plan for 20 min.
- When is the best time to visit Kawai Shrine?
- Weekday mornings.
Stay near Kawai Shrine
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