I happened to catch the Kamigamo Handicraft Market, held at Kamigamo Shrine on the fourth Sunday of every month. I have to say, Japan's handicraft markets are really great for shopping. The vendors aren't just local Japanese people—you'll also see international artists taking part. They sell everything from fabric goods, leather items, pottery, and woodwork to household goods, and many of the pieces aren't just attractive but also highly practical. Some stalls even clear out materials or unfinished items at very reasonable prices.
Because of that, even though I hadn't particularly planned on buying anything, I ended up shopping the whole way through. The item that left the strongest impression on me was an orange canvas bag with cowhide handles. I still use it today, and it's truly very durable. The market also has some food stalls, but they mostly sell small baked goods, coffee, and handmade snacks rather than full meals. So if you plan to stay for a while, I'd recommend eating beforehand. The market is currently held from 9:00 to 15:00 on the fourth Sunday of every month, so check the date in advance if you want to catch it.
Another thing I really like about visiting in summer is the stream that runs through the shrine grounds where the market is held. When you get hot from browsing, you can take a walk by the water. Lots of children play in the stream. If you plan to visit in summer, I'd recommend bringing an extra towel or a pair of sandals so you can play in the water more easily. After all, this kind of atmosphere is rarely seen in Taiwan.
As for the shrine itself, Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine are both important shrines for the Kamo Festival, also known as the Aoi Festival. Both have striking vermilion tower gates, but they felt different to me. Shimogamo Shrine's gate feels grander, while Kamigamo Shrine's feels a little more refined and elegant. That may also have something to do with the large lawns, streams, and more open surroundings.
I visited near the end of cherry blossom season, so I wasn't expecting much. To my surprise, the large weeping cherry tree on the grounds still had blossoms, so I was very lucky. It was also almost May and just before the Kamo Kurabeuma horse race, so I saw riders and horses moving around the grounds. Kamigamo Shrine's Kamo Kurabeuma is held every year on May 5 and is an ancient equestrian ritual that has continued for over 900 years. Just seeing the horses being prepared was already very impressive, though unfortunately I didn't get to see the actual event this time.
There is also a sacred horse stable on the grounds, and I was lucky enough to see the white horse this time. Kamigamo Shrine has long had deep ties to horse worship and equestrian rituals, so everything from the sacred horse to the Kamo Kurabeuma gives this shrine a distinctive character that's less common among other shrines in Kyoto. Of the shrine items, my favorite is still the rabbit-shaped fortune slip. The tiny rabbit is truly adorable and is one of their signature items.
Overall, I really like Kamigamo Shrine. If you happen to visit on the fourth Sunday of the month when the handicraft market is held, I highly recommend setting aside half a day to browse at a leisurely pace, plus about another hour to properly visit the shrine grounds. That will pretty much fill the day. If you're even luckier, you may come across a Shinto wedding. I saw a bride in a white shiromuku kimono here, and she fit the atmosphere of the shrine beautifully.
Kamigamo Shrine | Review by Holly
Other Reviews by Holly
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Okayama Castle
This castle was created by Warlord Hideie Ukita in 1597. The main castle was built on top of a hill named Okayama, and the Tensyu (castle tower), was built in front of the Asahikawa River. The adjacent castle town was created with merchants and craftsmen.
The main reason I visited Okayama Castle this time was to attend a local sake event held inside the castle at night. You can take the streetcar to Shiroshita Station and then walk about 10 minutes to Okayama Castle. However, if you come at night, the route from Shiroshita Station to the castle isn’t particularly well lit. I found this stretch of the walk a little scary, and the lighting only noticeably increased after I actually entered the Okayama Castle and Ujo Park area. If you’re visiting at night, I recommend having your phone’s flashlight ready so you can at least feel safer while walking.
The castle tower you see at Okayama Castle today is a reconstruction. The original tower was destroyed in the 1945 air raid on Okayama and wasn’t rebuilt until 1966. Once inside, I felt it was more like a history museum themed around Okayama Castle. In addition to historical exhibits, there are also plenty of interactive activities and experiences, such as trying on samurai and princess costumes and riding in an Edo-period palanquin.
If you collect stamps from Japan’s 100 Famous Castles, you can get the Okayama Castle stamp here as well. The stamp is currently located near the reception area on the first basement floor. However, since it’s inside the paid area, you still need to purchase admission to use it. If you have the Okayama Enjoy Pass, you can use it here to redeem a package that includes admission to the Okayama Castle tower and a seasonal fruit parfait at Ujo Cafe.
However, rather than the castle tower itself, I found the truly interesting parts of Okayama Castle to be the remaining stone walls and castle ruins around it. The honmaru still has stone walls from different periods. You can see traces of the castle construction from the time of Ukita Hideie, sections left from later expansions by the Ikeda clan, and even excavated stone walls and markings left by stonemasons. Looking closely at the stone walls actually gives you a stronger sense of how Okayama Castle changed under different lords and through different eras. Compared with the reconstructed castle tower, I personally felt that these unassuming stone walls and ruins were more distinctive of Okayama Castle. -
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Mt. Otowa Kiyomizu-dera Temple
Opened in the year 778, the temple was registered as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1994. In the 130, 000 m2 area of the precincts spread out on the hillside of Mt. Otowa, there are more than 30 cathedrals and monuments, including national treasures and important cultural properties.
Kiyomizu-dera is always crowded, but even so, I still highly recommend that first-time visitors to Kyoto come here at least once. The temple’s architecture is truly distinctive, especially the Main Hall and Kiyomizu Stage, which were built into the mountainside. Actually standing there and experiencing their scale is completely different from simply looking at photos.
However, if you’re traveling with older people, I’d recommend taking their stamina into consideration. Kiyomizu-dera is located at the foot of Mt. Otowa, after all, and entering from the regular visitor entrance still involves walking uphill for a while. The temple has actually made considerable efforts to improve accessibility. Wheelchairs can enter via the emergency access road above Chawan-zaka, and there is also a step-free route near the Main Hall. Compared with other temples I’ve visited, the accessibility here is quite comprehensive. However, because of the temple’s sloping terrain and historic buildings, making it completely accessible is still difficult.
The temple grounds are also larger than you might expect, and since this is one of Kyoto’s most popular attractions, you may have to wait in line in many places. Otowa Waterfall, for example, is very popular, and each of its three streams is associated with a different wish, so you’ll usually see people lined up there. If you want to avoid the crowds as much as possible, arriving earlier or later may help, but Kiyomizu-dera is so popular that you may still encounter quite a few visitors even around 8:00 a.m. Still, the experience is usually better than during the busiest hours of the day.
As for transportation, I personally wouldn’t recommend driving. There is no parking lot on the temple grounds. Although there are Kyoto municipal parking lots and other privately operated lots nearby, spaces can be hard to find during busy periods. Even if you do manage to park, you’ll still have to walk some distance uphill, since you can’t drive directly up to the temple gate. -
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Akafuku-Main store
Founded in 1707, during the early Edo period, this long-established store has been welcoming visitors to Ise Jingu shrine for centuries with its famous "Akafuku Mochi." This traditional Japanese sweet consists of a mochi rice cake topped with smooth sweet bean paste, and its shape is distinctive. The three lines on the bean paste represent the pure flow of the Isuzu River that runs through the sacred grounds of Ise Jingu, while the white mochi symbolizes the pebbles at the riverbed.
After entering Oharai-machi, turn right and you'll see it. The Akafuku Main Store is actually very easy to find. This is Akafuku's flagship location, and the timing of my visit was pretty good, so the line wasn't too outrageous. However, if it's very crowded and you're not set on eating at the main store, I don't think you need to spend all your time waiting here. There are other Akafuku shops nearby to choose from.
As for the Akafuku Mochi itself, I think its strongest point is actually the red bean paste. If the bean paste is strained too finely, it's easy to lose the aroma of the beans along with it. But if you try to preserve that aroma, it's difficult to make the paste this smooth. Akafuku balances the two very well. The texture is extremely delicate, but it doesn't just taste sweet—you can still taste the aroma of the azuki beans themselves. This seemingly simple wagashi actually requires a great deal of skill in handling red beans, and I think Akafuku is truly impressive in that regard.
What surprised me most was that it wasn't as sweet as I'd imagined. It's still sweet, but when paired with the hot tea provided, the sweetness is softened and everything comes back into balance. I really admire how Akafuku gets the level of sweetness just right.
When I visited, they also happened to have the seasonal summer Akafuku Mizu-Yokan. Akafuku Mizu-Yokan is made with azuki beans from Hokkaido and prepared as a whole slab poured into a single box, and it has very good reviews. I really wanted to buy it, but it's a frozen product that has to be kept cold. The problem was that I visited in August and still had a full itinerary after making the purchase, eventually heading all the way to Osaka. A frozen product was simply not practical to buy. If it had come in a smaller box, I could have found a place to sit after walking around Okage Yokocho and finished it right there. But it was a large 320g box, and no matter how much I can handle sweets, there was no way I could finish it all at once. In the end, I had to tearfully give up on it. -
