An Adventure in Fushimi Inari Taisha (Rylee)

Imagery of Kyoto is everywhere. If you were to see Japan as the topic of something, e.g. television episode, magazine article, movie, imagery of iconic places in Kyoto are almost certain to appear. No image more than Fushimi Inari Taisha’s countless torii gates has appeared in popular culture back in the United States when concerning Japan that I have come across, therefore I had to visit the grounds to find out why this place is so popular.

The famous torii path

Finding the place was no difficult task as it is always at the top of tour pamphlets and marked on Google Maps with thousands of positive reviews. Fushimi Inari Taisha is located near a JR train station making it easily accessible compared to other shrines I have previously visited. Shuffle your way through a narrow street of shops and suddenly you reach the main path to the temple grounds. There is no entrance fee and I saw no opening and closing times, therefore you may come and go at your own pace and without the need to hurry or worry about paying admittance. This brings the impression that these temple grounds are more akin to a public park. Free for anyone to use without restrictions, with the added bonus of the beautiful sights.

Main path facing away from the grounds

Fushimi Inari Taisha had a steady number of guests on the day that I visited. It was not crowded to the degree of Nishiki market or downtown Kyoto but there was a noticeably large crowd. Many Asian tourists other than the Japanese seemed to be visiting as the slight majority and the other half seemed to be half Japanese and half Westerners. The Asian tourists seemed to interact with the temple’s amenities to a greater degree. A large crowd of Chinese tourists always seemed to be swarming around the offering boxes, buying gifts, and in general being more energetic. Westerners seemed to stand back and take pictures and spectate.

Stickers everywhere

The area has definitely shown its popularity through its physical features. Stone steps and paths were worn down to be quite slippery and vandalism seemed to be quite higher in comparison to other shrines and temples through litter, stickers and people trying to engrave stuff into the torii and trees. Some of this is to be expected as this temple gets so much traffic to make it feel like a train station but stands as evidence as to why some people do not tolerate tourists. The most important part of my experience though was to see the beauty of the temple grounds. Fushimi Inari Taisha is one of the most quintessential Japan-esque places boasted by many and it definitely shows. It may be due to the overloading of cultural symbols of torii, folklore, and the serene nature of the forest on a mountain, or just our predisposition as tourists as we have seen pictures of this place many times before coming. Our expectations were set beforehand and were well surpassed. The temple’s popularity is expected due to its ease of access and its sheer size. However, Fushimi Inari Taisha does not use any gimmicks as seen in other temples to attract guests, therefore further pushing the point that the temple grounds itself though seemingly rarely modified to meet modern demands can still attract plenty of visitors and remain relevant.