As we explored Kyoto for just a limited time, we were only able to visit two temples. One of the two temples we visited is the gorgeous Kinkakuji Temple or the Golden Pavilion. The other one is the Fushimi-Inari temple. We chose these two as they are among the most visited by tourists.
Fushimi Inari is just a train ride away from Kyoto Station. The gate of the shrine is just a couple of walks away from JR Inari station. A lot of tourists visit this shrine and there is no fee to enter it.
Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine is the temple of Inari, the god of rice (agriculture). For three years in a row, Fushimi Inari-Taisha shrine was awarded 1st prize by Trip Advisor in the category “2016 Japanese site popular with foreign tourist”. There are a lot of tourists and locals who visit this place.
The entrance gates of Fushimi Inari Taisha have foxes statues. There are also a lot of fox ornaments inside the temple. It is believed that foxes are the god Inari’s messengers.
The most popular area of Fushimi-Inari shrine is the Shinto gates. Japanese donates Shinto gates as offer to help their businesses become successful.
I hugged the biggest one.
The good luck and success might be passed on to me. Hahaha 😀
Fushimi Inari shrine is very big. We only visited the area where most tourists went. Some tourists hike up to see more Shinto gates.
There are plenty of street food vendors at Fushimi Inari shrine so you won’t get hungry when visiting.
Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine is a must-visit temple in Kyoto area. So make sure to include this shrine in your list when you visit the Kansai region. 🙂
Japan 2017: Kyoto by Day and Nara by Night
Japan 2017: Exploring Kyoto ~ Kinkakuji Temple
PS: This was originally published last June 2017 in my previous blog: Baby Neo’s Mama.
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