Fushimi Inari Shrine

Fushimi Inari Taisha, at the base of Mount Inari in southern Kyoto, is the head shrine of Inari — the Shinto deity of rice, agriculture, and business prosperity — with an estimated 30,000 sub-shrines dedicated to Inari across Japan tracing their origin back here.

The shrine's defining feature is its seemingly endless procession of vermilion torii gates, known as the Senbon Torii ("thousand torii gates"), which form dense tunnels along the trails winding up the mountain. Each gate is donated by an individual or business as an offering, its donor's name and date painted in black along the base — a tradition that continues today and has produced the thousands of gates visitors walk through.

Fox statues, believed to be Inari's messengers, stand watch throughout the shrine grounds, often depicted holding a key, a jewel, or a sheaf of rice in their mouths. Unlike many of Kyoto's temples, Fushimi Inari is free to enter and open 24 hours, making the full hike to the summit and back — roughly two to three hours — a popular way to see the mountain's smaller shrines away from the crowds near the entrance.