Travel guide to the Fushimi Inari Taisya Shrine
Fushimi Inari Taisha is a Shinto shrine located in the southern part of Kyoto. The shrine is famous for its thousand torii gates. The torii and other structures are painted a brilliant shade of vermilion. Many people come here to pray for business prosperity, the safety of their homes and families, and other wishes.
About 800 torii gates stand in the Thousand Torii area, but there are about 10,000 torii gates in the entire Fushimi Inari Taisha area. When you come to see the torii, you may notice that they have inscriptions. These are usually dates and the names of donors. Would you like to donate a torii? You can donate a torii with your name on it, but it may take a few years before it is installed.
Here is the price list:
| Size of Torii | Price (Yen) |
| 5 | 300,000 |
| 6 | 567,000 |
| 7 | 702,000 |
| 8 | 100,000 |
| 9 | 1,175,000 |
| 10 | 1,890,000 |
Price may vary depending on locations. Torii in the pics are size 5.
Inari Mountain
The inari shrines are located on Inari mountain, 233 meters high.
Fushimi Inari Taisha consists of many shrines and torii gates on Inari Mountain. You can enjoy walking through torii gates and visiting small shrines as you hike on the mountain.
There are about 30,000 Inari shrines in Japan, and the head shrine is the Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. Inari is God of harvest, and foxes are messengers and servants of God. Thus, you can find statues of foxes in most Inari shrines, if not all.
Food
Inari sushi and Yakitori
There are many restaurants and diners around Fushimi Inari Taisha. Not surprisingly inari sushi is very popular food around here. Inari sushi is a traditional sushi made of vinegared rice tucked inside seasoned, deep-fried tofu pouches. In addition, quail and sparrow yakitori are very popular as well. The whole bird is cooked so they may look a bit grotesque for some people, but they are very good with sake. Cheers!
Snack/Souvenir
Between Fushimi Inari Shrine and the train stations, there are many shops where you can buy various souvenirs and snacks. I like the senbei (rice crackers) sold at the old stores. I usually buy peanut and miso-flavored senbei. Inari Fox senbei are good souvenirs and snacks.
Access
By train
JR Nara line: Get off at Inari station.
Keihan Main line: Get off at Fushimi Inari station.
It is only few minutes walk from either station.
By car
The shrine has a parking area, but it may be full during busy seasons. There are many coin parkings around the shrine.