Fushimi Inari

After realizing our Airbnb was just a 5 minute walk from the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine, we decided to visit on our last full day here and wake up at 5:30am to avoid the tourists. What a great call!

The prettiest map!

The Fushimi Inari shrine is known for its 10,000 toriis (shrine gates) that have been offered by worshippers as a testament of their prayers and gratitude. Infused with the meaning of "wishes will come through", the toriis orange/vermillion color expresses the power of Inari Okami, the God of Harvest. The symbol is a fox, who is Inari Okami's servant and a spirit fox has been believed to convey one's wishes to Inari Okami.

We didn't realize how expansive the grounds of the Shrine were. We ended up hiking pretty much the entire area, climbing many stairs which was actually a great early morning work out. We passed toriis after toriis, stone fox statues everywhere, and different shrines along the tranquil paths. We made our way back to the main shrine by 8am and crowds of people were already trickling in. Now it's time for a nap!

We found some friends along the way; one had way too many appendages.

City views

So peaceful in the bamboo forest

There were thousands of paper cranes outside of the temple. I just loved all the colors and details!