Japan, Kyoto: Fushimi Inari shrine

Tourist times! But a really wonderful day out of snowflakes and sunshine for me. (Apologies for the mad layout, Blogspot is next to impossible to format at prez.)

Avenues of Torii

This shrine (really a collection of shrines and beautiful spots) is scattered across a hillside of bamboo forest, and - if you want to do the whole thing - involves a 4km walk up steps and paths lined by thousands of Torii (red gate-like structures used in Shinto religion).

Torii literally means 'bird-perch' and actually the one thing that struck me about this visit was the loud and vibrant birdsong at the site. (I even thought it was a recording at first; it wasn't!) The inscriptions on each Torii are actually the names of the businesses that have donated them and supported the temple. Yep good old corporate sponsorship! This might seem unromantic to the Westerner - but they still look lovely, don't they?

Inari is the name of the mountain, but also a kind of Shinto 'deity' which represents business (so the corporate sponsorship is pretty apt!) and, among other things, rice and foxes.

Priests unloading rice?

                                                                                                                               
I don't know a lot about Shinto, and even if you don't pray here, I can thoroughly recommend a visit for great vistas, peace and nature.

This day also marked my first stand-alone train ride in Japan using survival language skills to get from Kyoto to the small village near this mountain. So proud!