Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine, Kyoto

The picturesque Mount Inari and its thousands of vermillion torii gates and shrines were high on my must-see list while I was in Kyoto. Spend anytime googling Kyoto and you’re bound to see the photos of trails covered by a veritable tunnel of torii gates. 

A torii gate marks the entrance to a Shinto shrine, defining the transition from earthly land into sacred space. The tunnels of thousands of torii gates on Inari act as an overall threshold to the thousands of shrines placed throughout the maze of trails, to the very tip top of the mountain. Shrines were established on the mountain beginning in the 9th century. The main shrine at the bottom of the hill was built in 1499.

I had read that the shrine is a very popular site with tourists and Japanese alike. And having already experienced a few days of Japanese crowds, we were determined to try to arrive early enough to get a few photos of the torii gate-covered trails before the crowds descended. We all met in the hotel lobby at 5:30a (happy vacation!) and caught the 5:51a train for a 10-minute trip to Inari. You might think we’d have the train to ourselves, but I’m not sure that actually ever happens in Japan. You might also think that at 6a we’d have the shrine to ourselves. Also not true. It certainly was quiet, but not altogether deserted. The Inari train station was mere steps to the main shrine and the bottom of the trail.

We paid our respects to Inari, the Shinto God of rice or agriculture, and made our way past the main shrine to the beginning of one of several trails up the mountain.

Hmm. I wondered if this sign said something I should know …

The trail was a combination of paths and stone stairs. There were places to eat along the way up, but nothing open at that time of the morning. A coffee shop, and maybe a donut or two, would have been much appreciated. There also were restrooms now and then. At 764-feet tall, Mount Inari is not quite a mountain, but it certainly gave me and my breath a run for my money. More than once, while taking a rest to catch my breath, a little old Japanese lady would sprint past me up the stairs, smiling and nodding. I think I may have heard some snickering. I was second guessing my wish for a donut.

Ahh … yes. Boars and monkeys. Of course. Fortunately, I rather into neither. But for the record, if I had … I’m almost certain I wouldn’t have approached them.

We all made the visit to Inari our own experience. At several junctures we each chose our own path with plans to meet up back at the train station.

Up. Up. And more up. Beautiful though!

Along the way I encountered a … shrine maintenance man? Love the can of vermillion paint.

I arrived at the top of the mountain by myself, visited a few more shrines, snapped a shot of the “you are at the top of the mountain” sign and headed back down to find coffee and breakfast. And a donut, dammit.