
The past couple of days in Kyoto have seen the city’s heaviest snowfall in over 50 years – which of course makes for a lot of splendid photo opportunities. One of my essential visits each January is to Shimogamo Shrine, a shrine older than the city itself and my personal favorite. I make a point of coming here for hatsumōde (初詣 – a first shrine visit) every year. Here are some pictures from today’s visit. Covered in its white mantle the north of Kyoto was breathtaking!















Happy New Year to all and best wishes for 2015 – the Year of the Sheep!
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You can find the Shimogamo Shrine complex a hop, skip and a jump over the Kamo river to the west of Demachiyanagi Sation. Here is a map of its location.
Update – January 6th: We actually bumped into John Dougill at the entrance to Shimogamo and his pictures from his visit are now up on Green Shinto.
See also: Kamo no Chomei’s Hojoki – “An Account from a Hut Ten-Foot Square”