Shirahige Shrine

The basics

The shrine building is on land on the other side of Highway 161 and has a direct line of sight to the torii gate. While its gate looks similar to the floating torii of Miyajima’s Itsukushima Shrine, Shirahige receives far fewer visitors. While visiting the shrine’s building, the noise of the busy highway can be bothersome but the shrine’s surrounding forest offers an escape into serenity. Cycling tours around Lake Biwa often pass by Shirahige Shrine.

Things to know before you go

• There is no admission fee for the shrine.

• As there is no safe way for pedestrians to cross the road from the shrine to the gate, visitors are officially prohibited from doing so.

• The small tourist office next to JR Omi-Takashima Station has bicycles for rent.

How to get there

Shirahige Shrine is a 30-minute walk (or 5-minute taxi ride) from JR Omi-Takashima train station, which is 40 mins from Kyoto Station on the JR Kosei Line. If you are traveling by car or by bike, you’ll find ample space to park at the shrine building.

When to get there

Travelers can visit Shirahige Shrine any time of day, year-round. It’s perhaps most beautiful at sunrise when you might catch a glimpse of the sun rising over Lake Biwa between the pillars of the gate. The gate is illuminated for two hours after sunset on weekends and during the shrine’s fall festival from September 5-6.

Who the Shirahige Shrine is dedicated to

Shirahige Shrine is dedicated to the Shinto deity Sarutahiko Okami, a symbol of misogi (ritual cleansing), strength, and guidance, and the patron of martial arts such as aikido. Sarutahiko is often depicted as a tall man with a full white beard, which is why the shrine is named Shirahige (“white beard”).