Quite possibly my favorite part of Kyoto (that I’ve visited, that is) that it warranted a revisit, never mind that exploring it would take more than a couple of hours and there’s some hiking involved. It is Fushimi Inari Taisha, my friends, and I’d be glad to show you once again how my 2nd visit went.
(In case you wanna check it out, the posts on my first visit to Fushimi Inari Taisha are up. In three parts. Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.)
And this is going to be another image-heavy post, so my advanced apologies for that.
Fushimi Inari Taisha, A Must-Visit When in Kyoto
Fushimi Inari Taisha (or Fushimi Inari Shrine) has been voted by overseas tourists as the top tourist landmark in Japan. In fact, it was chosen as such by TripAdvisor Travelers in 2018, for the fifth year in a row. And I can totally see why.
It’s been around 5 years since the first time I visited this beautiful shrine, but I must say it looked so much the same, if not exact. In fact, it might actually have become even more beautiful.
From Kyoto Station, we took the JR Nara Line and got off at the JR Inari Station. Which directly opens in front of the long walkway entrance of the Fushimi Inari Taisha.
We arrived at 8:20 and already saw quite the procession of people visiting the Shrine. This was not the case during my first visit, but then again, it was the end of fall back then, so it was quite chilly and I doubt many would want to go on a short hike up Mt. Inari in the cold. This time, however, it was summer, so there are more tourists.
(Might I make a note, however, that the skies were a bit overcast that morning and at one point there was some drizzle, followed by a downpour toward the middle of the day.)
During my first visit, we took a different route coming here. We took a local train, stopped at a station quite a distance away and walked through some alleys until we finally arrived at the Shrine. So going up the main entrance, underneath a series of large torii or gates, was a first for me.
As is customary in shrines, there’s an area for visitors to wash their hands. It is here that I took the time out to read the detailed instructions on how to use the washing water. First, purify the left hand (by washing it with the water), then do the same with the right hand. When rinsing your mouth (yes, you may), pour the water into your left hand and use that to rinse your mouth. After that, purify/wash the left hand.
Once you are done, you have to clean the ladle that you used in consideration of the ones who will use after you. So you have to scoop water with the ladle, then hold it up (in a standing position) so that the water from the scoop pours down the handle. ( It’s the first time I learned about that too.)
And if you’re wondering if you may drink the water, I think it’s a yes. But there’s a clear instruction NOT to attach the ladle directly to your mouth.
The Romon, or the two-storied gate, is flanked on both sides by statues of foxes. Foxes are the messengers of Inari, the Shinto god of rice, and the main deity enshrined in Fushimi Inari Taisha.
Just to be clear, the Inari-Okami is not just one deity, but a collective of five deities, all of which are enshrined here. They are known to give prosperity for businesses as well as granting abundance during harvest season. There are numerous Inari shrines all over Japan, but Fushimi Inari Taisha, in Kyoto, is the main or principal one.
Believers flock to the Main Shrine, or the honden, where they offer their prayers and petitions. When we were there, a service seemed to be underway inside, as there were a number of elder and distinguished-looking gentlemen entering the main hall.
Even before entering the Shrine, you can immediately tell that the color of the day is red-orange. Or, to be more precise, vermillion, which is a brilliant red that can come off as orange depending on the lighting. It’s the dominant color of the structures, the shrine buildings, the toriis…
Remember when I mentioned about ema in earlier blog posts? They have them here, too, and they are in the shape of small torii gates. Each gate costs 800 JPY, which you can also bring home with you in case you do not want to leave it at the Shrine.
If you want to hang it on the designated areas of the Shrine, there are some instructions on how to write on it. It is suggested that you write your name and address on the front side of the torii then your wishes on the other side.
Of course, looking at the ones hung, that was not a hard and fast rule because most just wrote their wishes and messages the way they wanted.
I’m not gonna lie. As much as the Shrine buildings on the main grounds are pleasing to the eye, what draws me in to this place are its mountain hiking trails, which lets you go up Mt. Inari, right behind the Shrine.
So it didn’t really take us long until we started walking up and following the flights of stairs that led to the trail.
What makes this hiking experience special is the fact that the trail is basically lined with a series of torii, thousands of them. That is why the hiking trail itself is called Senbon Torii, which literally translates to “thousands of torii gates”.
Taking a photo without other people getting into the shot is quite tricky, especially during crowded season. Thankfully, the crowd when we got there was tolerable, so waiting times aren’t that extreme when taking (unobscured) photos.
I guess what I’m saying is that, if you’re worried about the crowd, don’t be. At some point, the crowd will soon trickle away, because not everyone is really keen on taking the full circuit to the top and down. Many would stop once they reach the small shrine a tenth of the way.
It is at this point that there are going to be less and less people on the trail.
Oh, and in case I forget to mention later, these statues of foxes are going to be everywhere along the trail, as if welcoming visitors and standing guard at the same time.
You’ll notice there are writings on the pillars. These are names of individuals and organizations who have donated to the Shrine.
By “donation”, I mean they purchased these gates and they were added in. Which explains why at some parts, I noticed newer-looking gates, presumably new donations. Each torii gate has a set price, depending on the size. Apparently, the smallest one costs around 400,000 yen, with the tallest ones reaching around 1 million yen.
That also explains the different sizes of the torii gates.
And in parts where the torii gates “break off”, there are smaller shrines. In fact, there are areas with a smattering of tiny shrines, and some of the locals come here to light a candle or leave some offerings. I’m not particularly sure how these small shrines are assigned, or if they are.
And oh, there is a pond, too. With a narrow viewdeck for those who want to catch their breath before continuing on with the gently sloping uphill climb.
It is at the point that the checkpoints begin. So it’s like, you’re at Station 1, and there are 12 more stations to go before you reach Station 14, where the summit of Mt. Inari is.
And if you are wondering if you’d need a guide to hike this trail, no, you don’t. The trail is pretty straightforward, and there are directions that will show you where you are, where you’re supposed to go.
About halfway up, around Station 6, you’d find yourself in an area where you can get a view of Kyoto before you. This is called the Yotsutsuji, an intersection where you can take any of the trails that will lead you up to the summit. Again, some hikers end it here, and just take the route to descend the mountain.
If you want a nicer view, you can walk a bit to Station 7 and have a relatively unobstructed view.
Of course, you’d have to come back the way you came to resume your hike to the summit. (But it’s just a short detour, not to worry.)
I know this sign says that the summit is 20 mins away, but really, I didn’t rely much on it.
First, because we kept stopping to take photos. Or, if we see a series of gates on the side, we’d climb it, then go back down to resume the original trail. We were being spontaneous, I’d like to think that.
By the way, at every station, there is a store or shop, with some coffee shops even. From what I saw, though, the prices were a bit steep. But if you want some refreshments or munchies, you can get them there. (Yes, some even sell beer.)
Or you could just hit up any of the vending machines. There are plenty of them too.
Of course, there are larger shrines in these check points or stations, too, for the faithful. And spots to place ema, which you can purchase from the store. Aside from the torii ema, there were also ema that had fox faces.
While hiking, you’d definitely feel that you are in the middle of somewhere sacred and special. And nature. There are no unnecessary noises, only the sound of birds and the wind. (And some cats along the trail, seemingly kept by the Shrine staff.)
At one point, we saw a sign that indicated the chance of an encounter with other wild animals. But we saw nothing else aside from the cats when we were there.
Basically, from the intersection, it’s a continuous trail of gates and even more gates. There’s a risk that you’d be all “gate-d out”. But I had a clear goal in mind: get to the summit and actually spend some time there.
You see, during my first visit, we were in a rush (cuz we had to take a train to Nagoya at midday) so we were practically racing up the trail, realizing too late that we have already passed the summit. *cry*
Finally! We arrived at the summit of Mt. Inari. At Station 14. I finally recalled spotting this when we were walking back in 2014, but I dismissed it, thinking it was the same as the smattering of shrines. I didn’t think it to be the summit, lol.
In my defense, back then, the place was empty, too. No indication that it was anything special. This time around, there was a number of people, so I knew it had to be something.
There was a main shrine where many of the visitors were flocking to. And if you walk around, and go behind it, you’ll find more, smaller shrines.
In fact, you may think you’re in a maze of shrines filled with small toriis.
Earlier I mentioned about spotting newer toriis. Well, it ain’t all new, because we also saw some gates that have seen better days. At some parts, they were too weathered and worn that some are even coming off their pillars and leaning on the other gates.
Imagine if these start rolling down like dominoes….
From the summit, we had a chill and relaxed time going back down, following the trail so we were able to make a circular route, or a circuit of Mt. Inari.
We started the hike at 8:30. We came back down at the Main Shrine at 11:20. So we spent almost 3 hours on the trails of Mt. Inari. When we exited the Fushimi Inari Shrine, we went straight to the side street where stalls are set up selling all sorts of streetfoods, from fried stuff to fresh fruits to…. Wagyu on skewers.
Kobe Beef. 500 Yen. We lined up for it. We devoured it, even as the rain started to pour and we didn’t have an umbrella and had to take shelter on the side of the Wagyu tent.
We were slightly soaked, I was more concerned about keeping my camera (than any other part of my body) dry. And noshing on that glorious beef with its even more glorious sauce. It was a bit of a hot mess, but… NO REGRETS.
Next post would be our visit to Kiyomizudera… and Starbucks Coffee Ninenzaka. See ya then!
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