Kamigamo Shrine

Founded in 678 and probably older than that, since the Kamo clan were in this valley before the capital arrived. Together with Shimogamo downstream it is the oldest shrine in Kyoto, and its deity is Kamo Wake-ikazuchi, a thunder god, which is not a gentle assignment.

The two cones of white sand in front of the worship hall are the thing to look at. They are called tatesuna, they stand about 1.8 metres, and they represent Koyama, the hill behind the shrine where the god is said to have descended. Sand from them is used for purification, and every pile of salt or sand you see beside a doorway in Japan descends from this idea.

The honden and the gonden behind it date from 1628 and are National Treasures. By tradition they are rebuilt periodically, the same practice as at Ise, so a building from 1628 is both old and repeatedly renewed. The grounds are wide and open, with the Nara-no-ogawa stream running through them under maples, and people put their hands in the water on hot days.

Outside the east gate is Shake-machi, a preserved street of houses built for the shrine's hereditary priest families, each with its own channel diverted from the stream. It is a quiet ten-minute walk and almost nobody does it.

Aoi Matsuri on 15 May brings a procession in Heian court dress from the palace to both Kamo shrines, and on 5 May there is horse racing in the grounds that has been held since 1093. Entry is free. The special viewing of the inner shrine costs 500 yen. It is about thirty minutes by bus from Kyoto Station, well north of the tourist belt.