It is a place that cannot be missed while visiting Japan in the city of Kyoto. Most folders or websites advertise this place as the top 5 must-visit places in Japan. And it is true. We often get disappointed when visiting overrated monuments, but Kyoto and its attractions are not such places. Inari surprises with its size, it is beautiful and you can spend a few hours here.

Tori gates

Before we get to the labyrinth of paths, which is really called Sembon Tori (Thousand Gates), we will come across a representative part of this complex, i.e. Fushimi Inari Taisha. There is a Prayer Room, the so-called Double Gate, there we can also buy various talismans.

The characteristic orange gates of Tori lead to the temple, which are the showcase of this place. Some people associate them with a dragon's tail, others see them as a great serpent. They create kilometers of colorful corridors among green forests to finally lead us to the place of worship, i.e. to the temple on the top of Mount Inari.

Tori gates are most often made of wood, and each gate has Japanese signs painted in black paint. These are thanks to the founders of the gates, mainly entrepreneurs, because Inari is the god who looks after businessmen, ensuring their success in business.

Inari deity

The top of the mountain is crowned with a temple dedicated to the Inari Deity, who is responsible for fertility, rice, industry and general happiness in the Shinto faith. The most common form a Deity takes is the form of a good fox called Zenko. That is why we can come across statuettes of various sizes, Zenko statues, at almost every step. There are plenty of prayer incense, bells and often flowers. The Shinto religious trend is a traditional Japanese polytheistic religion based mainly on mythology and the worship of animal deities. According to this mythology, the Emperor of Japan is the 125 descendant of a deity in a straight line.

You make the decision

The hill of Inari is full of lush greenery, naturally growing bamboos. However, a lot of humidity is felt, which, combined with the high temperature, makes it stuffy and hot, and a walk up the stairs for tourists in poor condition may be a little less pleasant. Every now and then the Tori gates branch into the letter Y. It is up to us to decide which path we choose, but each one will lead us to the top of the temple.

Fushimi Inari Taisha Temple

The view at the top makes up for the inconvenience of climbing. A beautiful view of Kyoto awaits us there, and above all, chapels full of good deities, i.e. foxes. Light reflections appearing among the gaps between the pales add color to this place. Unfortunately, you have to be very lucky to take a picture without people in the frame. It is a very popular place but definitely worth a visit.

Enjoy 😉