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Grab your coat, because winter is an amazing time to see Kyoto’s Kifune Shrine.

While Kyoto prides itself on its atmosphere of calm tranquility, the city has some of the most extreme weather in Japan. In part due to its geographical position in a basin, the city gets incredibly hot and humid in the summer (even by Japanese standards), while winter brings frigid cold to both the downtown area and the surrounding mountains.

All that chilly winter weather, though, also gives Kyoto’s historical architecture a whole new facet to its beauty. There’s something truly timeless about seeing the former capital’s shrines and temples blanketed in snow, and arguably the most beautiful of all in those conditions is Kifune Shrine.

午前5時の雪の様子です。
路面の凍結や所により深い積雪も見受けられますので、お越し頂く際はお気をつけてご来社ください。#貴船神社 #貴船#kifune #雪 pic.twitter.com/cjs69o6QDf

— 貴船神社 (@kifunejinja) December 16, 2020

Kifune Shrine doesn’t make it on to everyone’s list of sights-to-see in Kyoto. Located in the Kibune neighborhood in the mountains north of downtown, it’s about an hour away from Kyoto Station, and with so many cultural attractions clustered closer to the city center (like the newly renovated Kinkakuji/Golden Pavilion), a lot of travelers simply don’t have time for it.

京都
貴船神社 pic.twitter.com/NoWXKrPeTQ

— 世界の癒される風景 (@sekai__fukei) December 26, 2020

But if you can clear out part of your schedule for a visit to Kifune, you’ll be rewarded with a picturesque view as you gaze up the lantern-flanked stone stairway that leads to the shrine’s entrance. It’s especially breathtaking right after a snowfall, with fresh powder covering the curved tops of the lanterns and the cross-beams of the torii gates.

昨日から貴船町では初雪が降り、当社でも積雪となりました。ご来社の際は足下にお気をつけてお越しください。

また参道の春日灯籠は午後8時まで点灯しております。#貴船神社#貴船#kifune#雪 pic.twitter.com/TD0xP65QAf

— 貴船神社 (@kifunejinja) December 16, 2020

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京都在住5年目にしてやっと極上の雪貴船にありつけました
ごっそさん pic.twitter.com/ryRwciOs1E

— ひで (@eiheideichein) December 31, 2020

Being located in a less developed part of the city means less concrete sprawl, which lets snow pile up in the nearby forests and waterways as well.

貴船神社奥の院#過去写真 #貴船神社#雪 pic.twitter.com/yG7hvL7PPw

— つくも＠京都ブログ (@moko_Mk3) December 29, 2020

Though heading out after sundown in snowy conditions requires even more bundling up, adding an extra layer to your outfit is worth it since the glow of Kifune’s lanterns lend an otherworldly allure to the grounds.

季節は代わり
冬の貴船神社

pic.twitter.com/cIGh3LezBf

— Jin / 絶景アドバイザー (@kengo1220vr) December 25, 2020

早朝の貴船神社

雪の綺麗な貴船神社リベンジ大成功です！#貴船神社 pic.twitter.com/ihq86aGstY

— ゆっぴ (@8kou___) December 31, 2020

Of course, none of this is to say that you should scratch Kifune off your itinerary if it’s not snowing, since the shrine looks cool in any weather conditions.

貴船神社に来たら雨 pic.twitter.com/KUKEsPYmyb

— 裕:ゆう (@L1nJnHmBWoDGOw2) December 24, 2020

Still, there’s no denying that there’s something extra special about seeing it in the snow, when it looks like the shrine has laid out a white carpet to welcome you.

20.12.31 #貴船神社　
一年の締め括りに絶景に出会えました。三脚禁止だそうですので、ご注意を。 pic.twitter.com/GoMZfosKtL

— 小西 泰平 (@konikoni_taihei) December 30, 2020

With Japan not quite at its coldest winter weather just yet, odds are we’ll be seeing more wonderful views of a snowy Kifune in the weeks to come.

Shrine information
Kifune Shrine / 貴船神社
Address: Kyoto-shi, Sakyo-ku, Kurama Kibunecho 180
京都市左京区鞍馬貴船町180
Website

Featured image: Twitter/@kifunejinja
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Source: SORA NEWS24