A Short ride from Kyoto.
Traveling can be fun and inspiring but it can also be hard work and a day trip to Fushimi Inari is the perfect example of this.
We woke up at 11am then packed some water and with our JR rail passes in hand we made way to the train station so we could catch the JR train to Nara.
In Nara lies one of Japans most photographed tourist attractions, the Fushimi Inari shrine est. 711.
The shrine is built onto the side of the mountain and consists of several "Torii Paths" which enclose the subject into a tunnel of Torii gates. Each gate displays the name of a Torii that made a wish and built the gate. The Torii gates were established after the early temple structures and during the Edo period.
Foxes are of great prevalence at these shrines, they are regarded as messengers or gatekeepers, and will often be holding an item such as a key in their mouth. They are strategically placed at all entrance points to Fushimi Inari.
There are thousands of tsuka, mounds for worshipping on the Inariyama mountain. It really gives you a feel for how many years the shrine has been active and for the immense size.
Note that many of the tsuka are built upon lakes which reside on the side of the mountain. The lakes add to the tranquility as you slowly make your way up the mountain.
Originally lit by candle, nowadays most of the lighting has been replaced with electricity. Sadly it would have been extra special to walk this mountain a hundred or so years ago when it was lit by candlelight.
Half way up the mountain we discovered an off-track bamboo forest. It was nice to break away from the herd of tourists and see where it goes.
We eventually gave up and came back out of fear of being lost at night time. Also there was some rather large spiders making webs between the bamboo and we didn't want to walk into one.
In some places, the mountain has some amazing views of Kyoto. It's surreal to take a rest from the long walk and look down on a busy city.
In total we spent about 3 hours at the mountain, most of which was walking up hill. If you're not in good health you should visit anyway, as it's beautiful from the bottom all the way to the top. You don't have to experience it all, but if you're in Japan then it's a must see.
Once we returned to the bottom of the mountain we visited some of the night market stalls. Then we settled on some ramen for dinner. It was such a beautiful day and we learned a lot about Japan.
