The Fushimi-Inari-Taisha shrine in Kyoto is most famous for its long rows of vermilion
Torii gates, nearly 5000 gates in all.
Various temple structures are in front including the famous Romon Gate, but the main attraction
is that vast network of Torii gates which have made Inari one of the most popular destinations
in town.
Whenever you see the torii gate you know that this is not a Buddhist temple but instead
it's a Shinto shrine.
And this is the main shrine of this particular Shinto sect that's dedicated to the gods of
rice and sake.
Throughout Japan there are 40,000 other Inari shrines but this is the principle one.
The Inari Shrine is a wonderful Shinto experience.
You walk through all of these different gateways along a path that winds through the forest.
This is the largest collection of Torii gates anywhere in the world.
You could spend one or two hours walking this pathway that extends for almost 3 miles altogether.
The visit you’re watching was in early December and so it was not crowded and yes the temperatures
were kind of nippy but comfortable.
And we saw some cats – notice the steam coming out of their breath.
Temperatures in the morning like this were in the 30s.
The gates are surrounded by natural forest and by various small cultivated gardens with
some ponds here and there.
You can walk all the way up the hillside to the top of Mount Inari, which is about 240
meters high and you won't get lost, just follow the path, follow the tunnels of torii gates.
The biggest problem with the Inari shrine is that it's just too popular -- it's being
loved to death.
Remember we’re traveling in early December when it's very peaceful, quiet and nearly
empty.
The crowds during the season, during the day are phenomenal.
There will be probably 1000 people all walking through these gate, so it can get pretty congested.
For example if you look at the comments on Trip Advisor about this temple shrine area,
every other comment mentions the crowding -- people in the way, people taking pictures,
people stopping and talking and kind of interfering with the experience.
Now, these people are visiting during the high season and during the middle of the day,
so the way to avoid it is come in the off-season, as we are -- it’s December as we’re walking
around, early December.
It's a perfect time to be in Kyoto.
Or if you’re here in the busy season, come very early.
You can come just after sunrise or come very late in the day, just the hour before sunset,
and will have the added benefit of some extra rich colors and fewer people.
The site is especially popular during the New Year's holiday, Japan's most important
festivity, when it attracts nearly 3 million people during the three-day period.
Of course if you enjoy people-watching then this is no problem, you can see it as a bonus.
There will be lots of folks out here appreciating the site and most of them are Japanese tourists,
so it's like an extra bonus for you in that regard.
People from throughout Japan love to come to Kyoto and visit these wonderful gardens
and shrines.
Arrive early and walk through this phenomenal lineup of several thousand torii gates standing
next to each other and forming a magical two-mile tunnel through the forest.
It's easily reached from the town center by train on either the JR line stopping at Inari
station or the Keihan line to the Fushimi-Inari station.
The first shrine was built in the year 711 in a different part of town to the southwest
and then it was relocated here a century later in 816 the main shrine structure was built
in the year 1499 and all of the torii gates were added subsequently over many centuries.
Each of these 5000 torii gates was donated by a Japanese business and maintained by them
and they put their name on them because the shrine is a patron of business and merchants
and manufacturers but especially of the god of rice and sake.
It seems like we’re walking around a little bit in circles and we are because once you
are inside the shrine area you're walking through the tunnel of these Torii gates and
you can get to the end and then just turn around and walk back through that same tunnel
or you could continue -- it does make a complete loop circuit if you walk all the way up to
the top of the hill.
But you might want to go that far so feel free any time to just walk in part of the
way and then turn around and walk back out the same way that you came in.
It's a different experience either way going uphill or going downhill.
The vermillion color of the gates is quite dazzling and contrasts delightfully with the
green the garden setting.
There are even a few restaurants in the shrine area, which figures if it’s going to take
you three hours to walk along every pathway.
So you can get some refreshments and especially locally-themed dishes such as the inari sushi
and kitsune udon, both of which feature pieces of fried tofu, which was said to be a favorite
of the foxes who were some of the gods of the shrine area.
This is part of our series on the temples and gardens of Eastern Kyoto, the Higashiyama
district, and also we’ll take you downtown in some of our other videos.
Be sure to look for them on our YouTube channel.