Himuro Shrine
Himuro Shrine worships the God of Ice, which is not frequently seen in Japan. Here, visitors can taste cool shaved ice; and in April, appreciate the beautiful cherry blossoms. Besides, you can request a special fortunate-telling paper, whose contents only show up while being put on the ice.The Himuro Shrine has about 1,600 years’ history, and you can find about twenty icehouses being remained here. In ancient times, people would store the ice in icehouses during winter, and offer ice to the royal family in summer.
Himuro Shrine
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Top Things to Do in Himuro Shrine
1. Serve a Bowl of Shaved Ice to God of Ice
From June 15th to September 15th, visitors can request a bowl of shaved ice to serve the god of ice. You can put the shaved ice on a wooden platform in front of the temple and ask God to help you out. After the offering, you can take away the shaved ice and eat it, and the shrine provides free sugar water. In general, shaved ice is only provided from 9:00 to 17:00. By the way, if you want to get a bowl of shaved ice, you need to donate at least 300 yen to the shrine.2. See Your Fortune on Ice Cube
The shrine provides a kind of special fortune-telling paper. You can request a fortune paper and put the paper on the ice, then you can see the words gradually appear on the paper. When the paper gets dried, the words will disappear. By the way, the fee for a fortune paper is 200 yen.
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3. Take Part in the Ice Lantern Festival
On the first day of every month, the shrine will place many crystal clear ice lanterns on both sides of the road and put burning candles inside. On January 1, you only can see these lanterns from 0:00 to 4:00. In the other months, the ice lanterns are placed from sunset to around 21 o'clock. Besides, the number of ice lanterns will vary based on season, production, and preparation status.4. Appreciate the Cherry Blossom in the Shrine
The shrine hosts an old cherry tree of about 400 years, and the cheery tree is called the first Sakura in Nara. You can see pink and white cherry blossoms in early April and it is said it is the place to see the earliest cherry blossoms in Nara. Besides, if you get a fortune paper that you do not like, you can tie the paper to the cherry tree.
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5. Watch the Performance on Ice Offering Festival
Every year on May 1, the shrine will hold an Ice Offering Festival to appreciate the Ice God for his blessing and pray for good weather in the coming year. On the day, people related to the ice industry from all over Japan will visit the shrine. You have the opportunity to taste all kinds of delicious ice products, and watch the dance and music performance from 14:00 to 15:00. Besides, you can see two huge blocks of ice, each with three fish frozen inside. The festival generally lasts from 11:00 to 15:00, but visitors only can take part in the festival after noon.6. Taste Delicious Shaved Ice on Himuro Shirayuki Shaved Ice Festival
In summer, the shrine will hold the Shaved Ice Festival to show a variety of shaved ice. In general, the festival is held on the first weekend of May, and you can see many famous ice stores and some shaved ice professionals. It is a good choice to taste these flavored shaved ice and appreciate delicate shaved ice with different styles. If you don’t come during the festival, you can still find many stores selling shaved ice from May to October.Opening Time and Ticket
The shrine is open from 6:00 to 18:00 from April to October, and from 6:30 to 17:30 from November to March. You can visit the shrine for free.Approximate Visit Time
About 0.5 hour.How to Get to Himuro Shrine
1. You can take the Kintetsu Nara Line, and get off at Kintetsu Nara Station. Then, you can walk to Himuro Shrine, which takes about 15 minutes.2. You can take the JR Nara Line to JR Nara Station. Then, change to the Nara bus at JR Nara Station (East Gate), and get off at Himuro Shrine & National Museum Station, which takes about 10 minutes.
Travel Advice
After visiting the Himuro Shrine, you can walk to the nearby Isuien Garden to appreciate the Japanese traditional garden. Besides, you can walk to Kofukuji Temple, Todaiji Temple, and Nara National Museum to experience and learn Buddhist culture. Feeding deer in Nara Park and overlooking the landscape of Nara from the top of Mountain Wakakusa, also are good choices.
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