Kyoto: Fushimi Inari
4:12 AM
The most important of the thousands
of shrines dedicated to the god of rice “Inari”, the Fushimi Inari Taisha
stands on the sacred Mt. Inari. There are thousands of vermillion torii gates
donated by individuals and companies. This Shinto shrine is about 4 km and
would take 2-3 hours to walk.
You will notice that there are a lot of statues
of foxes, which are thought to be messengers to Inari. They usually have a rice
granary in their mouths.
I would suggest walking up to the Honden (main building), then visiting the building on the right (notice the paper cranes hanging), then go up the stairs on the left side of the main building.
The “Senbazuru” or 1000 paper
cranes is held by string. It is for good fortune as the crane is considered to
symbolize longevity and eternal youth. These origami paper cranes also now
symbolize peace.
If you have a QR code reader, there
are codes in front of important parts of the shrine. you can use the reader to
connect to the English audio guides.
Luminous in the late afternoon, the
Fushimi Inari Shrine is a must see.
Entrance Fee: free
Nearest Train Station: JR Inari Station
Hours of Operation: always open
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