Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

Japan Winter 2024

Kyoto | Japan

25 Feb 2024 | Sun

Day 06 of 17

Inari Train Station Kyoto
Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine
Nishiki Market Kyoto

Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

Getting to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

After breakfast at the hotel, we embarked on a 23-minute train journey to reach the renowned Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine. We walked from our hotel to Shijō Station. From here we took the train (Karasuma Line) to Kyoto Station. Here we switched to trains (Nara Line) to get to Inari Station.

Map | Train – Shijō Station > Kyoto Station > Inari Station

Inari Station

Inari-Train-Station-05 — Inari Train Station at Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

The weather was not great today, quite cold and rainy. Our thinking was, let’s still go hoping that the weather would deter the crowds, but unfortunately, that was not the case – we still found the shrine full of tourists.

Our first stop was the entrance area (Tower Gate, Fushimi Inari Taisha Honden Sanctuary, etc.) after which we headed towards the start of the Fushimi Inari Taisha Sembon Torii, also known as the Thousand Torii Gates.

Fushimi-Inari-Taisha-02 — Entrance to Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

To our disappointment, the famous trail of fading red gates was full and overflowing out of the entrance (full of people and umbrellas). Despite waiting 20–30 minutes, the line to enter never moved. We couldn’t believe how crowded it was on such a cold and rainy day! The rain started intensifying, and we decided to leave the queue.

Fushimi-Inari-Taisha-37 — Trail of Thousand Torii Gates Full of People and Umbrellas

Fushimi Inari-taisha (Japanese: 伏見稲荷大社) is the head shrine of the kami Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain, also named Inari, which is 233 metres (764 ft) above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and take approximately 2 hours to walk up.

Inari was originally and remains primarily the kami of rice and agriculture, but merchants also worship Inari as the patron of business.[citation needed] Each of Fushimi Inari-taisha’s roughly 10,000 torii was donated by a Japanese business, and approximately 800 of these are set in a row to form the Senbon Torii, creating the impression of a tunnel.

The highlight of the shrine is the rows of torii gates, known as Senbon Torii. The custom to donate a torii began spreading from the Edo period (1603–1868) to have a wish come true or in gratitude for a wish that came true, with successive gates being added up to the present day by donors out of gratitude. Along the main path there are around 800 torii gates.

– Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine > Wik i pedia

Food/Shopping Area of Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

After giving up on the trail of a thousand Torii gates, we wandered over to the section bustling with food vendors, taking in the array of local delicacies on offer. However, the weather and the crowds had dampened our spirits, and we decided to return to the comfort of our hotel. While it was disappointing that our visit didn’t go as planned, we took it in stride and looked forward to our next adventure.