Fushimi

This country never ceases to amaze me.  It is a wonderful place to visit....it truly is.  One morning during my stay in Kyoto I took the JR Nara Line for two stations (five minutes) from Kyoto and got off at Inari.  This is the site of one of Shinto shrine that you may very likely have seen pictures of.  It is an Inari shrine meaning that it is built in honour of the god of rice and sake.  Inari shrines are unique from other Shinto shrines for two reasons.  One is that their entrances are guarded by foxes (which the Japanese believe can possess a human).  Secondly their entrances are marked by numerous torii (the gates that grace entrances of Shinto shrines).  This particular shrine is called the Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine and has, according to a man I met in one of the shops in the complex, more than 30,000 torii gates.  The complex is, as is often the case, in a naturally beautiful area.  This one is built in hills and has over four kilometre of trails in it.  Almost every metre of trail has a torii gate above it.  Have a look at the pictures.  It makes for a very interesting hike.  Worth the visit.  As always...go early or late.  Not only does this save you from crowds but it also provides great lighting and shadows for picture taking!






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