Fushimi Inari Shrine & Thousand Torii Gates

Located in southern Kyoto, Fushimi Inari Taisha is a Shinto shrine built at the base of a mountain named Inari.

It is one of the most visited places in Kyoto. It is famous for its thousands vermillion torii gates. The red-ish color represents the sun. .

The shrine is said to be dedicated to the god of rice and sake by the Hota clan in the 8th century.

The torii gates were donated by the national and local businesses and even individuals. Cost of a gate starts at 400,000 yen for a small one. Your name will be etched in black on one side of the gate.

There is a path in between the torii gates and walking through them is like you're thrown in a different space

Aside from the torii gates, you will notice statues of foxes. Foxes are seen to be the messenger of the god of grains.

There are lots of food and souvenir stalls along the street leading to the shrine.

for sale- umbrella in a nice casing

souvenir mini torii

Sample the freshly cooked snacks after a long walk.

takoyaki

king crab meat

xiao long bao soup

Unlike other temples in Kyoto, there is no fee to enter the shrine and the torii gates.

Best to visit early in the morning to avoid the crowd or late afternoon to early evening to enjoy the serenity of the place and to take photos minus the tourists.

How to get o Fushimi Inari Shrine
From Osaka station, take the JR Tokaido Sanyo line bound for Nagahama and stop at Kyoto station, transfer to JR Nara line bound for Joyo and alight at Inari Station. Walk 400 meters to the shrine.

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