Fushimi Inari Shrine

 This Inari Shrine is a sidetrip if we visit Kyoto because it is actually located a little bit on the southern edge of  Kyoto . Make sure to include it in your itinerary because this place is highly recommended.

To get to Inari, from Kyoto Station, wait at platform 8/9 to take the local Nara Line train. We can also go to Nara with this train line. We can use an IC model transport card (Pasmo/Suica) for this route. Inari is only 2 stops (5 minutes ¥150) from Kyoto station. Once you get off and exit Inari station, Inari Shrine is visible across the street. There is no charge, aka free, to enter Inari Shrine.

Fushimi Inari Shrine is a place of worship for the Shinto religion, very popular among the Japanese people themselves. Inari itself is the name of the god of rice. It is not difficult to find small groups of women here, it seems to be asking for a match.

In Fushimi Inari we will also find many fox statues made of stone in a position biting the key to the rice barn door. This animal is called the 'messenger' of the gods.

The trail behind the shrine is more famous among tourists for its countless tori photos. To fully enjoy it, prepare 2-3 hours because this trail climbs up the sacred Inari hill.

In some places, these tori are arranged so tightly that they look like long corridors.

But once you start going far enough back, it starts to get more spaced out and the atmosphere is cooler and more mystical. These torii are usually made with donations from people or families, their names are written on the side of the pole. The bigger the torii, the more expensive it is. It is said that the cheapest is ¥400,000 and the most expensive can be millions of yen.