Fushimi Inari Taisha

On my second morning in Kyoto I woke up early and went to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. This is the largest out of some 40,000 Inari shrines in Japan, with Higashi Fushimi Inari Jinja in Tokyo being the second largest. We used to live near Higashi Fushimi and visited it often, so I've always wanted to visit the main shrine in Kyoto.

It was far more spectacular than I'd imagined. And although it's a famous shrine, it is a little out of the way so early in the morning there was almost no one else around, so I really felt like I had the place to myself. This would turn out to be less of a bonus after a few hours, but I'll get to that in a bit.

Fushimi Inari is nestled in the mountains south of Kyoto, and is known for its thousands of torii (crimson gates) that line a few kilometres of paths, turning them into virtual tunnels. It is one of the most photographed sights in Kyoto and is a favourite of both tourists and local business people, who come to ask the gods for good luck. Indeed, many of the torii have been donated by people and companies in gratitude for their financial successes. It also seems to be popular with local exercise buffs, as pretty much the only people I came across were joggers and hikers.

I had no idea how long and confusing the paths were or how steep they get in some places. I later found out that the main path is 4 km, but there are also plenty of offshoots, so it would be possible to spend a full day walking around the area. Which is what I almost ended up doing.

The main path is not always clearly marked-- the offshooting paths are often lined with torii as well, making it difficult to determine which way to go at the freqent intersections. The maps that can be occasionally seen are typical old-fashioned Japanese maps, with nothing to indicate which way is North and no "You are here" marker. So not surprisingly I ended up getting lost.

It took me a while to actually realize/admit that I was lost, and by that time I was getting a bit scared. I've always found Shinto shrines to be a bit spooky, and this place was thickly forested so even under the bright morning sun it was a bit dark. There was absolutely nobody around to help me, and I seemed to be going further and further into the wilderness. But when I stopped and noticed how beautiful the area was I relaxed a bit and figured I'd eventually find my way out if I sticked to well-used trails. I ended up walking along a pretty stream and spotted all sorts of neat wildlife- ferns and bamboo, frogs, butterflies, a stag beetle, and the some of biggest dragonflies I've seen in my life.

I eventually came upon a subdivision of large, well-to-do homes. Normally walking around in the suburbs is not particularly interesting, but this was neat. Although the homes all seemed to be recently built and some were quite modern in design, they all had at least a few Kyoto-esque details and were noticably different from houses in Tokyo. And after a few minutes of wondering I finally came upon a fellow human being who was able to tell me where the hell I was. Pretty far from Fushimi Inari, it turned out. Definitely too far to go back and see the rest of it.

I was bummed about not being able to walk the entire torii-lined main path of Fushimi Inari, but I'm starting to learn it's not worth getting all bent out of shape when things don't go the way I planned. Actually, getting lost like this is one of the great pleasures of travelling, and besides, I am lucky enough to live in Japan-- it's not like I'll never get a chance to come here again.

Anyway, the place I ended up was not far from Tofukuji, a large temple one station away from Fushimi Inari. Another 30 minutes of walking and I had passed through Tofukuji and was on a train, no longer lost. I would have loved to have spent time at Tofukuj but I had an appointment to keep. .

More pictures of Fushimi Inari can be found on my Flickr Kyoto album.

Having called to reschedule my appointment (getting lost made my visit to Fushimi Inari 2 hours longer than I planned) I had just enough time for a quick breakfast. I happened upon a really nice place called Cocohana. Housed in a beautiful 100 year old machiya (Kyoto-style house), it serves organic Korean food and Japanese sweets. I was early enough to order one of their two breakfast sets, choosing coffee and a thick slice of toast with black sesame butter. Delicious.

It is just a minute from Tofukuji Station (one stop south of Kyoto station), so is easy to pop into either before or after a visit to Tofukuji Temple and/or Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine.

Cocohana
075-525-5587
23-1, 13-chome, Hon-machi, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto

Comments

[illahee]

fushimi inari is lovely. i went there for new year's 2002. so many people, but even then the paths weren't very crowded! thanks for the lovely pictures!

[Amy]

This would be a great place to go for New Years! Did you walk the full path? I guess one benefit of the crowds would be that it would be pretty hard to get lost!

[Erica]

I love your blog! I read it regularly, but this is my first comment. In March, I moved from Kyoto to Tokyo and your pictures of your trip really make me feel homesick for Kyoto. I also got lost at Fushimi Inari the first time I went. And it was the last shrine I visited before I moved. Thanks for the photos!

[illahee]

it was so cold!! even with all the paths and steps (to keep us warm by walking), we didn't walk the full way. i was with my kyoto-no-okaasan and she had some prayers to make. i took loads of photos, though, i epsecially love all the stone foxes!

[DakRoland]

Really cool pictures! This shrine was featured early in the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha". I had no idea the main path was 4km long! Thanks for the virtual tour! (^_^)

[Dave]

Seeing your photos of Kyoto was like old home week as I lived there for 18 years. First near Kuramaguchi station in north Kyoto, then in Katsura, and most of the time in Nagaokakyo-shi (a few stops toward Osaka on the Hankyu line).

I really like your photos, especially the ones of food in restaurants, not only for the memories but because you manage to have such open shadows. If you have the time, would you drop me a line giving me the details of how your create the effect.

[email protected] (Congress, Arizona)

[Amy]

Erica,
Sorry to make you homesick. But I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one to get lost here!

Illahee,
Well it was scorching hot when I went. I guess spring and autumn would be good times to go.

DakRoland,
I still haven't seen Memoirs! Going to have to rent it soon.

Dave,
Thanks! 18 years is a long time- you must miss Kyoto. As for the pictures, I'm afraid that it's just dumb luck if any turn out nicely. And I must confess that I have no idea what an "open shadow" is!
My basic technique is to take dozens of pictures and hope one turns out. And luckily Japanese restaurants often have really nice lighting.
Oh yeah, Photoshop can do wonders to improve and enhance lighting.