Fushimi Inari Taisha (Shrine)
Fushimi Inari is the head of all Inari (fox) shrines in Japan, where farmers and merchants pray for rain, bountiful harvests and filthy lucre, as they have for many hundreds of years. Fushimi Inari goes back at least to the 800s, reputedly founded by the same Hata family (huge clan, actually) responsible for Horyu-ji in Nara and Koryu-ji in western Kyoto.
It goes on like this picture forever; thousands of vermillion torii gates donated by mojo-seekers must you walk under, climbing the winding path, ascending stairs at times, for about 4 kilometers to reach the top of the mountain. your retinas will be orange by the time you get there, but there is a rest stop at the top where you can have a drink or something to eat. One time when we were there the Kuroneko man (Japanese express courier) was just arriving to make a delivery, having walked up the same route with a huge backpack.There is no other way.
only in japan would the kuroneko man actually walk that entire distance. he probably apologised for taking so long.
anywhere else and he’d probably shoot you, or demand that you come fetch the darn thing yourself.
Well, that’s pretty much what I thought. I was there again the other day, and another express company delivery man (Sagawa Kyuubin) was just starting to climb the hill with a big load, while onlookers looked on and chuckled at his task.
Fushimi Inari is my favorite shrine in Japan. I’ve gone hiking there every time I visited Kyoto from Tokyo. I say gone hiking because that’s really what it is. You can spend six hours there without realizing it. There are so many shrine areas and mysterious mist-filled statue-valleys to explore. The Noh stages there are really something. If I had a huge amount of money, I’d pay to donate a torii there.
Anyone who visits Kyoto should not miss Fushimi Inari. Seeing the sun set over Kyoto from one of the upper areas is excellent.
I know some natives of Kyoto that spend all night in places like this, meditating in temple graveyards and shrine areas, showering at traditional shugendo spots. They claim to have experienced some pretty amazing things. If you frequent the Starbucks in Sanjo, maybe you know some of those guys…
This is what The Gates installation in NY reminded me of when I first saw photos of Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s piece, but the experience redesigned and very beautiful in Central Park.
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