Takenobu Inari Shrine
Nijo, Kyoto
Source: ja.kyoto.travel, checked 11 Oct 2026.
Takenobu Inari is a shrine founded in 859, a few steps south of the Sanjo-kai arcade, where people pray for business and for winning. Sakamoto Ryoma and his wife Oryo are tied to its sacred enoki tree, said to be 850 years old, which fell in May 2025, and the shrine is also linked to the folk tale of Issun-boshi.
Insider tip
Ask for the Kachi-goma and Kachi-mamori charms for winning, which the shrine has handed out for a long time. It's a short walk from Shinsen-en and Nijo Castle, so you can fit it into the same loop.
What's on near Takenobu Inari Shrine
Upcoming events within a ten-minute walk of Takenobu Inari Shrine, from the weekly Kyoto events calendar.
Hitaki-sai Fire Rite at Shinsen-en
神泉苑 御火焚祭
Time From 13:00 Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 5 min walk
A goma rite at the Zoun Benzaiten shrine where wishes written on goma sticks (200 yen each) are burned, with the garden special viewing opening the same day.
Jason Riedy, CC BY 2.0 Shinsen-en Dainenbutsu Kyogen
神泉苑大念佛狂言
Time 13:00 to about 17:30 Station Nijojo-mae (Tozai Line), 1 min walk
The local kyogen society, performing since 1903, puts on five or six silent masked plays a day to gongs, drums and flutes on the stage by Shinsen-en's pond, and the programme is chosen on the day. Tsuchigumo, where the spider throws its threads over the audience, is the favourite. Entry is by donation, the seats are outdoors and you can't take photos during the plays.
Jason Riedy, CC BY 2.0 Nakagyo Ward Fureai Festival 2026
中京区民ふれあいまつり2026
Time 10:00 to 15:00 Station Nijo (Tozai Line), short walk
A ward festival with food stalls from neighbourhood associations, fire engines on show, sports corners, stage acts by local schools and a prize draw.
Spring Special Opening at Mibu-dera
春期特別公開
Time 09:00 to 16:00 Station Mibudera bus stop
The inner sanctum of the main hall, its wall paintings and sliding-door paintings, a cultural property gallery and the garden are open during Golden Week.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY 4.0 New Year's Eve Bell at Mibu-dera
壬生寺 除夜の鐘
Time From 23:30, about 10 people per strike up to 108 Station Bus Mibudera-michi, 5 min walk
Visitors strike the bell in groups of about ten in order of arrival up to 108 times. New Year goshuin seals are given out from 23:00.
Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert, CC BY 4.0 Smaller local events nearby
New Year Garden Special Opening at Shinsen-en Festival
31 Dec to 7 Jan (dates to be confirmed) · Shinsen-en, Nijo
A special garden viewing is open from 31 December to 7 January, 9:00 to 16:00.
Map · Source: Shinsen-en · 神泉苑 庭園特別拝観
New Year's Eve Bell at Shinsen-en Festival
Thu 31 Dec (dates to be confirmed) · Shinsen-en, Nijo
The Toshitokujin direction-change rite is at 22:30 and the bell is rung from 23:40, three people at a time up to 108 strikes.
Map · Source: Shinsen-en · 神泉苑 除夜の鐘
Nearby
Around Nijo
The shogun's castle, with the Shinsengumi's Mibu a walk south
Most people come for Nijo Castle, and it's worth its two hours. Tokugawa Ieyasu built it in 1603, and its Ninomaru Palace is the only palace complex still standing inside a Japanese castle. Then walk south, past a pond garden first laid out in 794 and an 800 m covered shopping street, to the temple in Mibu where the Shinsengumi trained.
Nijo has 17 places on the Roam Kyoto map: 5 shrines and temples, 3 landmarks, 3 shops, 2 restaurants, 1 bar, 1 cafe, 1 museum and 1 bathhouse. Read the Nijo guide.
Good to know
- What is the address of Takenobu Inari Shrine?
- 38 Imashinzaike Nishi-machi, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto (in Japanese: 京都市中京区今新在家西町38).
- How do I get to Takenobu Inari Shrine?
- The nearest station is Nijo (JR, Tozai Line). Takenobu Inari Shrine is in Nijo, Kyoto.
- How much does Takenobu Inari Shrine cost?
- Nothing. Takenobu Inari Shrine is free to visit.
- How long do you need at Takenobu Inari Shrine?
- Plan for 15 min.
- When is the best time to visit Takenobu Inari Shrine?
- Daytime.
Stay near Takenobu Inari Shrine
Browse live availability and compare prices around Nijo.
See hotels near Takenobu Inari Shrine on Booking.comPrices are for the night of Saturday 24 October. You can change the dates on Booking.com. If you book, Roam Kyoto earns a small commission from Stay22 at no extra cost to you.