Shimogamo Jinja

It’s less mesmerising than most of its World Heritage peers, but this shrine is historic (thought to date from the sixth century) and hosts one of Kyoto’s big three festivals (Aoi Festival, see p31). It’s set in the Forest of Truth, a 12-hectare belt of untouched nature often used by film-makers to represent a primeval forest in period dramas. In the south-east corner of the grounds stands one of the ‘Seven Wonders of Kyoto’, a pair of evergreen trees growing inches apart. Although the trees have died three times, on each occasion a similar pair has grown in their place. They are now tied together with rope and considered auspicious for lovers.