Fushimi Inari Shrine
Fushimi Inari Shrine is perhaps my favorite place I’ve been in Japan so far. It’s a gorgeous hike up a mountain via a bajillion stairs through thousands of orange gates. The place has a certain serenity to it that I’ve found very difficult to come by on such an overcrowded little island of a country. Parts of it actually felt inhabited by something unseen, like small cities of quiet, forgotten gods. Which, I suppose, is more or less what a shrine is supposed to be.
A quiet stop along the way
The whole walk is actually quite long, and we didn’t do all of it. We made it to main landing on the mountain, from which you can continue on to do a 6km loop around the peak. I’d really, really like to finish the hike someday.
View of Kyoto from the main landing (sepia toned)
These pictures are from my visit to Kyoto with my parents in March. Go check out the FULL SET for pictures of the Gion district in Kyoto, Kiyomizu Temple, and the rest of Fushimi Inari.
