Lanterns at Kifune-jinja Shrine

Recommended to walk along the road to go up there. So much pretty spots to take picture. Its quite a hike so make sure you are fit and always be careful because the road is small. Not recommended if you walk with small kids. You can take a bus to go up and down. Dont forget to get your book stamped at the train station!

Very nice and scenic shrine with its famous staircase and lamps in the mountain area. you can reach the temple by bus from Kifune Station or walk uphill for around 2km. Either way is great. If you go there around afternoon-ish using Eizan train, please remember that there will be no bus service available after 5 PM. So if you stay late there until the shrine is closed to get the beautiful photos when the lamps are on, you will need to walk quite far on the dark road to go back to the station.

We came on weekdays(09/01/2025) so there were less tourist here. I like it a lot. It is a small village worth to visit. Bring your own food because some shop/restaurant were closed on weekdays.You need yo recharge your energy after a long hike (around 2.4km trail). Theres a bus going to the nearest train station or you can just walk down to it. But becareful with wild bears. We did walked down to the station but we see no bears around.😁

Very peaceful and serene place, nice short walk to the temple from the bus stop. We went in winter but can imagine would look fantastic during autumn.

Kyoto Kifune Shrine is located on the north of Kyoto. Kifune is on the west and Kuramadera temple is on the east. Take the bus 33 from Kibuneguchi station to the last stop to reach here. During winter time at night (Mid Jan to Mid Feb on weekends), It is a beautiful view with snow on the staircase with the lantern. While during Summer and summer (May to Sep), It is popular to visit restaurant with platform on top of Kibune River. (Platform will be remove in Winter) There are three location for the Kifune Shrine. Kifune Shrine main shrine 貴船神社本宫 Kifune Shrine - Yui no Yashiro (Nakamiya [Middle Shrine]) 貴船神社 結社 (中宮) Kifune Shrine - Okumiya [Rear Shrine] 貴船神社 奥宮 is locater further north around 15 min walk. Try to fortune slip. The slip is soak in water to reveal your fortune. Middle shrine is famous for matchmaking. The middle shrine of Kifune Shrine and famous for matchmaking. Enshrined in the shrine is Iwanaga-hime-no-mikoto. The legend says that when Ninigi-no-mikoto, great-grandfather to Emperor Jinmu, requested to take Konohanasakuya-hime as his wife, her father instead offered the older sister, Iwanaga-hime, but Ninigi-no-mikoto only had eyes for Konohanasakuya-hime. Iwanaga-hime, greatly ashamed, proclaimed “I shall remain here and bestow good relationships upon the people,” and was subsequently enshrined at the shrine. In the Heian-period, worried about her husband’s change of heart, the lady poet Izumi Shikibu visited the shrine. With her wish being fulfilled after offering her prayer through song, the shrine was from there on known as the “Shrine of Love.” Rear Shrine is the founding place for Kifune Shrine. There is a pile of stone that look like the shape of a boat. The founding place of Kifune Shrine, it is a sacred place surrounded by forest. According to the enshrining legend, the holy boat that Tamayori-hime rode in is said to have been surrounded by stones to avoid attention. The stones, covered in moss, are even now enshrined at the inner shrine of the rear shrine. Directly below the inner shrine is a large hole called the “ryuuketsu,” dragon’s den, upon which the shrine was built. Since the ryuuketsu is a sacred place that should not be seen by people it is forbidden to be viewed by anyone and is counted amongst Japan’s Three Great Dragon Dens.