Happy Sunday everyone! :)
I hope your weekends have been relaxing ^^
During winter break, my friend from back home came to visit me while she was in Japan and we both agreed that going to Fushimi-Inari was at the top of our list of things to do while she was here. Fushimi-Inari Shrine is the head shrine for more than 30,000 Inari shrines that are located throughout Japan. These shrines are dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice and because foxes are said to be the messengers for Inari, there are many fox statues placed on the grounds. Fushimi-Inari is also one of the most popular and visited sites in Kyoto, famous for its thousands of orange torii that are donated by businesses and merchants in hopes of having a prosperous and successful year. These torii form a spectacular orange tunnel for visitors to walk through.
My friend and I forgot that because it was still New Years weekend, many people would be flocking to the shrine as well.
Many kitsune statues were placed around the grounds as they are seen as the messengers for Inari.
Before entering, one must cleanse themselves. This is done by using the scooping water into the ladle and washing both hands as well as rinsing one's mouth.
A good portion of our walk was following hundreds of people in a line as they made their way up the mountain as well.
There were several side-trails and this resulted in a rare shot of an empty tunnel
For those who are unable to donate a large torii, purchasing a much smaller one was an option.
A sea of people as far as the eye could see...
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a wonderful week!
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