Kifune Jinjya Shrine which is located in the mountainous area off the city, in the northern part of Kyoto city, is the head shrine of the approximately 450 kifune jinjya shrines throughout Japan.
There are no records written on the paper when this shrine was originally built, however, it's known that the building was reconstructed around 1300 years ago.
This shrine is dedicated to the god of marriage (matchmaking) and is said to be one of the most famous sacred places in Japan.
At Kifune Jinjya Shrine, you can try 'Omikuji' (fortune telling paper) in a unique way. When you put a piece of blank paper you got on the water, soon you will be able to read what is written on the paper.
During summer, you can have lunch at ’Kawayuka’, the tables of restaurants which are set on the river around Kifune Jinjya Shrine. Water makes you feel comfortable during the hot summer.
You can walk from Kifune Jinjya Shrine to Kuramadera Temple taking for about 1 hour along the 'Ki-no-ne-michi Path'. (I recommend you to walk from Kuramadera Temple to Kifune Jinjya Shrine which I think it easier to walk.)
Kuramadera Temple is famous for Tengu. (Tengu is a traditional and legendary god with red face and a long nose.) This temple became a temple of Shingon Sect in the 9th century and then changed to a temple of Tendai Sect in the 12th century.
Kuramadera Temple is famous for its fire festival, Kurama Fire Festival, however, these days, the festival has been very popular among many people and therefore it may be a little hard to go to see the festival from the city. (Road traffic around the temple is suspended during the festival and the trains are very crowded, because they are the only transportation available.)
The area around Kifune Jinjya Shrine and Kuramadera Temple is very quiet and peaceful. You can enjoy the atmosphere in the nature.
