Before going to Japan, I've always seen photos of the famous red torii gate tunnel online. Somehow, although they are just simple red gates, the sight of many of them "stacked together" is super gorgeous and got me inspired to visit. Turns out the torii gates are part of the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto ? I knew that if I was going to visit Japan someday, I'd have to visit this place!

Then the opportunity came when I planned a trip to Japan with two of my friends. As Fushimi Inari was on my bucket list, we made sure we included it in our itinerary ? Fast forward to the trip and everything was going well - Kyoto was really breathtaking! We had visited the Arashiyama bamboo grove, Sagano Romantic Railway and Higashiyama the day before and they didn't disappoint so I was very excited for Fushimi Inari.

How to get there:

There are 2 stations that are near to Fushimi Inari shrine. If you have the JR pass or you're coming from Kyoto station, then it's better to take the JR Nara line and alight at Inari station. We were from the Gion area and we didn't have the JR pass so we took the Keihan main line to Fushimi-Inari station instead. Fushimi-Inari station is a little further away than Inari station but it's still not too bad as there are a lot of street stalls when you're making your way to the shrine.

Fushimi Inari Taisha Japan

We arrived around 10-11 plus in the morning and omg there were so many people! Actually it's kinda expected because we didn't plan our time properly but my advice is to come earlier if you can. I know some people plan to arrive as early as 7-8plus in the morning. If you can wake up that early, then go ahead ? Because we knew that there was gonna be a lot of walking and our bags were kinda bulky, we decided to store our bags at a luggage storage facility nearby. There are a few of them around the shopping street. Can't rly remember how much we paid for it but it was quite affordable, maybe 600yen per bag.

Finally, it was time to start our hike! We totally had no expectations and didnt know what to expect but that's what made it fun. But if you're someone who needs to know what you're signing up for, I advise you to read up more about the hike and psych yourself up. There are literally thousands of torii gates here (they're called senbon torii which means thousands) and they all lead uphill to a shrine. And if you were to hike up all the way to the top it'll take you around 2-3 hours back and forth or even longer if you're taking your time. So make sure you wear comfortable shoes!

Fushimi Inari Taisha Japan

Just some info to help you understand why the area is so massive - it's cos Fushimi Inari is the most important shrine dedicated to Inari, the Shinto God of rice and the mountain itself, Mt Inari is also regarded as very sacred by the Japanese. That's why when we were on our hike, we saw so many locals too. I think it was a very immersive experience to be able to do this together with them.

Back to the hike... When we first started walking through the senbon torii, we were in awe of it. There was certainly something about these gates which seemed to captivate us. The first 10-15 minutes or so, there were A LOT of people crowding the torii gates for the perfect photo. I went during a non-peak period in May and it was alr quite crowded.. Cant imagine if it's during spring or autumn ? Trust me, no need to fomo and just walk past the crowds because there are thousands more torii gates waiting for you. Even if you're only here for the 'gram and not planning to hike all the way up, just bear with it first and reap the rewards later.

See the photo above? That' s after we walked past the crowds! I guess I got lucky with the shadows too ? though i think if you really want to capture some light and shadows, i read that the best time is to arrive before sunrise so you can capture the light when the sun comes up.

Fushimi Inari Taisha Japan

I think after we walked like 45 minutes, we arrived at this viewpoint called the Yotsutsuji intersection which had a stunning view of Kyoto ? To be honest I feel like if you just make it here, it's good enough but my friends and I were determined to go all the way and so we did!

Fushimi Inari Taisha Japan

After the intersection, it was really peaceful as most people would already make their way down. And the feeling was different once there were no distractions. We could really experience nature, hear little animal sounds and whenever the wind blew, the leaves would rustle and sway. There were even a few cats along the way ? I guess I could see why the mountain is so sacred and hiking up to the shrine is sort of a "pilgrimage" and devotion for the Japanese which I really respect.

The higher we climbed, the less visitors we saw but occasionally there were a few people walking by so we asked them to help us take a group photo. If you're wondering, yes it was really tiring but lucky we didn't have our bags with us! I think it's a great time to bond with your travel buddies too tbh. What I loved most was the fact the we saw the locals walking the trail with us. I think some of them were probably Japanese from other prefectures seeing the senbon torii for the first time too. I also remember groups of schoolchildren who were super friendly when I greeted them ?

Cut the long story short, we eventually reached the summit of Mt Inari and as expected, there were a few shrines dedicated to Inari. Except for some locals praying and other curious travellers, it was super peaceful to be up there! But if you're expecting a view, then don't count on it as the summit is shrouded with foliage. The best view was at the intersection earlier.

So after catching our breaths, we made our way down! It was definitely a great workout and perfect to burn all the calories we gained from ramen and wagyu ?

Other things to see

Fushimi Inari Taisha Japan

While the senbon torii is the main draw and many people visit Fushimi Inari for that, I think you should stop by the main hall of the shrine too. As with any Japanese shrine, I'm always intrigued by their rituals and it was nice to get a piece of that here. Besides being a tourist attraction, it's easy to forget that the shrine is very important to millions of Japanese.

Halal food nearby

From what I remember, there weren't any halal food options near Fushimi Inari shrine except for some stalls selling traditional Japanese snacks like dango (sweet rice dumpling) and other snacks like corn. As we already had a heavy breakfast, we weren't actively searching for halal food. So I suggest that you do the same or pack some light convenience store food before you start your hike. There are some onigiri (rice ball) which are Muslim-friendly like the tuna mayo and salmon. But to be sure, it's good to use the Google translate app to check if there are any alcohol or animal extract.

If you're really hungry after your hike, the good thing is that Fushimi Inari is just a short train ride away from Kyoto station or the Gion district where you can find plenty of halal food. Don't forget to try Ayam-ya's delicious ramen or Nanzan's juicy wagyu beef ?

Final thoughts

All in all, I'm really grateful to have visited the senbon torii at the Fushimi Inari shrine. Super thankful to my friends for accommodating to me too hehe ? Before going, I only expected to find an IG-worthy spot which I did! But i think more importantly I learnt how much the shrine meant to the Japanese and the hike up Mt Inari was a really humbling experience. It definitely made me appreciate Japanese culture more ❤️

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