Pray Yourself Pretty at Kawai Shrine in Kyoto

Kyoto is home to several of Japan’s most interesting shrines. There’s a shrine where you can pray for good hair, a shrine for showbiz success, and even one for soccer. Among these curious places of worship is Kawai Shrine, dedicated to the age-old quest for beauty.

Date Visited: December 1, 2019

Draw Your Ideal Face

Kawai Jinja (河合神社) is dedicated to Tamayori-hime, a mythological figure known for being the mother of Jinmu, Japan’s first emperor. More than the deity, however, the shrine is known for its unique ema or wooden prayer plaques.

• 

• 

These votive plaques known as “kagami ema” come in the shape of a vanity mirror and have a face drawn on each. Pilgrims who visit the shrine can purchase these wooden plaques and use them to draw their ideal face and wish for it. The shrine provides spaces where you can sit down and draw using the coloring materials provided. You can also use your own make-up if you wish to.

The other side of the plaque is left blank so you can add a few lines of prayer and sign it with your name and the date of your visit. Once done, you can place it on the rack along with others. It’s quite interesting to see how your ideal face stacks up against others.

Drink Your Beauty Juice, Too

You can also purchase a cup of “bijinsui” (美人水), literally meaning “beauty water” at Kawai Shrine. The drink is made from the shrine’s quinces, which grow abundantly around autumn. The drink is said to make your skin look young.

I purchased mine hot, and the warm drink was perfect on a cool autumn morning. I had not tasted quinces until then, and I was delighted to find out that it tasted like a sweeter, lighter version of lemon juice.

Regardless of whether it actually grants beauty prayers or not, I enjoyed my time at Kawai Shrine. Art, after all, is therapeutic, and drawing on a prayer plaque most certainly cleared my mind. As a place of worship and reflection, I’d say the shrine works.

Walk Along Tadasu no Mori

If you’re going to visit Kawai Shrine, you might as well take a walk around Tadasu no Mori. One of the shrine’s exits leads to this strip of land, dotted with lush trees. The sight is especially lovely in autumn.

How to Get to Kawai Shrine

Kawai Shrine (Kawai-jinja, 河合神社, かわい じんじゃ)
6:30 to 17:00
Free admission
Official Website (Japanese only)
30-minute bus ride from Kyoto Station.

From Kyoto Station, take a bus heading to Shijo Kawaramachi or Nishi Gamo Shako Mae. Get off at Shin Aoibashi. Kawai Shrine is a 3-minute walk from the bus stop.