The shrine that people call Shimogamo, or properly Kamomioya-jinja, stands at the point where the Kamo and Takano rivers meet in northern Kyoto, and in front of it spreads an old forest that is a rare thing in a city of one and a half million. The Tadasu no Mori, the Forest of Correction, is a stand of ancient trees, elms, zelkova and oaks, which survives from the primeval woods that once covered the Kyoto basin, and a gravel path runs for several hundred metres from the entrance through the trees to the main gate. The sound of the stream beside you and the dim light under the canopy make it easy to forget the traffic nearby.
The Kamo shrines predate Kyoto itself. They were the guardian shrines of the Kamo clan, powerful before the court moved here in 794, and after the capital was founded they became important protectors of the city. In mid-May, the Aoi Matsuri, the Hollyhock Festival, sends a procession of courtiers in Heian-period costume from the Imperial Palace to Shimogamo and on to the upper Kamo shrine, with hollyhock leaves pinned to their hats, and it is one of the three great festivals of Kyoto. The shrine was listed by UNESCO in 1994.
It makes a lovely place for a rider to start a day, because the forest is shady and cool, and the neighbourhood lies north of the centre, a short way from the road along the Kamo river that leads out into the hills. Parking for bikes is possible nearby, but check signs. The streets around the shrine are narrow, with bicycles and buses, and the pace should be slow. In summer the air is humid, and the cicadas are loud, while in autumn the leaves in the forest turn gold.
Fuel is easy in Kyoto, with stations on the main roads in the Kita and Kamigyo wards. The little teahouses near the shrine sell mitarashi dango, a skewer of rice dumplings in sweet soy glaze that is said to have originated here, and which makes a good mid-morning snack.
The road that follows this ride list continues to Nara, to the site of the ancient Heijo Palace, and the way south passes through Uji, the home of Japan's best green tea.