Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine

Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine tickets and tours: which one to book

Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine is a small village shrine in the forest on the southern side of the Aso caldera, with no gate fee, no ticket office and usually no staff. You park at the roadside, walk up the stone steps and visit at your own pace. Donations can be left in the offering box. The one bookable product connected with it is a day tour by car that includes the shrine among other sights of the Aso and Takachiho region. Tours of this kind usually include a driver or guide and the vehicle, sometimes with hotel pick-up; meals, any boat hire and other entry fees are normally extra.

Because public transport to the shrine is very limited, a tour or a rental car is the practical way for most visitors to get there. Independent travellers usually drive: the shrine lies a few kilometres south of Takamori town, about 90 minutes from Kumamoto city by road, and is often visited on the way between Aso and Takachiho Gorge across the prefectural border in Miyazaki. From Takamori station on the local Minamiaso railway, a taxi or a rare community bus covers the last stretch. There is a small car park by the road at the foot of the steps.

Visiting Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine: what to see and how to behave

The shrine is famous not for its buildings but for the approach to them. A long flight of uneven stone steps, lined by around a hundred moss-covered stone lanterns, climbs steeply through a dark grove of tall cedars, and in damp weather the moss on stones, roots and lanterns turns a vivid green. The atmosphere is so striking that it inspired the setting of the anime film Hotarubi no Mori e, and many visitors come as fans. The steps end at a modest wooden hall dedicated, according to local tradition, to the creator couple of Japanese myth, Izanagi and Izanami. Little is known of its history: worship is thought to go back to the 14th century, the original shrine burned in the wars of the 16th century, and the present building dates from 1722.

It is visited by people praying for a good marriage. Behind the hall, a further path leads up to Ugeto-iwa, a huge rock pierced by a hole roughly 10 m across. Legend says it was kicked through by a follower of the god who created Mount Aso, and passing through is believed to bring success. The path to it is steep and can be muddy. This is a place of worship in a quiet hamlet, so keep your voice low, do not climb on the lanterns or pull at the moss, and follow the usual etiquette at the hall: bow twice, clap twice and bow once. Photography is welcome, but be patient on the narrow steps.

Kamishikimi Kumanoimasu Shrine: opening hours, ceremonies and the best time to go

The shrine is open at all times, but come in daylight: the steps are steep, uneven and unlit, and the forest is very dark after sunset. Early morning, when mist often lies in the cedars and few other visitors have arrived, gives the best atmosphere and photographs. The rainy season from June to mid-July turns the moss its deepest green and brings the most atmospheric light, though the stones are slippery.

Autumn is pleasant and crisp. In winter the Aso highlands are cold and the steps can be icy or covered in snow, which is beautiful but treacherous. Midsummer brings insects, so bring repellent. Allow 45 minutes to an hour, including the climb to Ugeto-iwa. Combine the visit with the Aso caldera and its active crater, the spring water sources of Minamiaso, or Takachiho Gorge and its shrines about an hour's drive to the east.