The beautiful and expansive Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, with its over one thousand Torii Gates, is one of Japan’s most iconic sites. With splendour comes popularity, and this spot is known to attract the masses! It’s also quite a hike up a hill, which can definitely leave you exhausted when you just want to enjoy your surroundings. Keep reading below to find out how to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha without the crowds and at your own relaxed pace, just like I did.
Fast Facts on Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Fushimi Inari Taisha is Japan’s oldest Shino Shrine. It was established in 711 AD.
- The shrine is dedicated to Inari, the Shinto goddess of rice, prosperity and sake and the patron of business.
- Inari is believed to use foxes as messengers, so statues and symbols of foxes are dotted across the shrine’s grounds, which wind up multiple trails to the summit of Mount Inari.
- The Torii gates along the entire trail are donations from both companies and individuals. The name of the donor and the date of the donation is on the back of each gate.
- Millions of worshippers visit Fushimi Inari Taisha over Japanese New Year.
Getting There
Fushimi Inari Taisha is just outside Kyoto and is free to visit. If you’re visting Japan, I’d highly recommend visiting Kyoto, not just to see Fushimi Inari Taisha, but to see all the other great sites on offer in this city! Kyoto is beautiful, historic and lots of fun. If you’re coming from Tokyo, the easiest way to get to Kyoto is by the Shinkansen Bullet Train and you get the added bonus of views of Mt. Fuji from the windows on a clear day.
Once in Kyoto, the easiest way to get to Fushimi Inari Taisha is to catch the JR line to Nara and get off at the second stop, JR Inari Station. The trip is only five minutes from Kyoto station and you’ll be dropped off right outside the entrance to the shrine.
The secret to seeing Fushimi Inari Taisha without the crowds is to arrive early! Fushimi Inari Taisha is open 24 hours so you can go whenever you want. I decided to go there at the break of dawn, as I heard that was the best way to avoid the crowds (and it was totally true). Some people also go late at night, as the shrines and torii gates are dimly lit in the evenings. This could also be a really cool option.
The route up and down Mount Inari
I’m going to go all rogue here and tell you that you shouldn’t follow the torii gates up the mountain. What?! If you’re like me and you only have limited time in Kyoto and won’t have time to visit the famous Arishyama Bamboo Forest, there’s an alternative option up Mount Inari that I’d highly recommend considering.
Rather than going straight up the main ‘Fushimi Inari Trail’ on the start of your visit, have a look around the shrines at the bottom, walk up one of the famous split-in-two paths of Sebon Torii (they meet at the end), and then head to Fushimi Kandakara Shrine. From here, keep following the same trail you are already on and you will end up following an alternative path up the mountain, which is complete with a mini bamboo forest, multiple forest shrines dotted along the path, a site where they manufacture torii gates and way more peace and quiet. It’s super tranquil and super safe. I did it alone and felt totally relaxed.
As you get close to the summit, you’ll begin encountering torii gates on the trail. When you finally reach the top of Mount Inari (233m), which will have taken you between 45 minutes and an hour, you’ll suddenly be on the top of a mountain, by yourself, that you have reached on an empty or near empty trail and you’ll have scenes like the ones below to yourself.
I think having worked for your torii gates and then getting to slowly enjoy them on a walk down through them at your own leisurely pace is THE way to go!
At the top, you can hike around the circular summit trail and explore the different shrines and viewpoints, some of which offer great views over Kyoto. There are also some food stalls and cafes, but if you go super early, these will likely not be open.
It takes around another hour to walk down the mountain through the main Fushimi Inari pathway. When I went, the path up was still super quiet when I walked down. A bonus of walking down the main trail is that as you descend, the torii gates get more and more numerous, so you are wowed at every turn and feel like you are walking into the most impressive parts of the trail, rather than upwards and out of them.
Going early means you can also get shots, selfies and videos with absolutely no one else in them, which is pretty wild considering how popular this place is.
Another bonus of an early morning trip to Fushimi Inari Taisha is that you then have the whole rest of the day left to explore sites that aren’t open 24 hours and you have that awesome feeling of satisfaction that you’ve already done something amazing with your day, even if you leave by 9am. Going early was also great for me, as I had been catching up with old friends in Kyoto, and it meant I could get up early, check out Fushimi Inari Taisha by myself (they wanted a sleep-in), and then meet up with them by late morning.
I absolutely loved visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha, and that the way I did it meant I got to get a bonus forest hike up a mountain at the start, complete with glades of bamboo and hidden shrines and then have the mountain mostly to myself for my peaceful walk down. I love walking, photography and nature, so this was perfect for me, and if you’re fit, an early-bird and keen to avoid the crowds, it might just be the best way for you, as well!
