Em in the East: Kyoto- A Memorable Day at Fushimi Inari Shrine

As many of you know, my awesome friend Jessie came to visit me in Japan. While here, we (Jessie, Masa and myself) went to Kyoto for 6 days. Let me tell you, Kyoto is an amazing city with a dizzying amount of temples, shrines, gardens, parks, museums... Out of all of these gorgeous sights, a few REALLY made an impression for their beauty, the experience and the feelings evoked...

One of my favorite days was spent visiting the Fushimi Inari Shrine. It's a shrine of commerce, where even today, business owners and companies can purchase a torii (the Shinto arch). These toriis have been placed closely together creating a path leading up a mountain.

The day was lovely and being in the mountains ALWAYS makes me happy and to see the various shrines, kitsune (fox) statues and toriis, was a moving experience.

Pictured above is a Shinto Torii which demarks a sacred place.

The streets leading up to Fushimi Inari.

A main place of prayer at the base of the mountain.

Pictured Above: Here are just a few of the hundreds of "kitsune" (fox) statues that are prevalent in this shrine. Foxes (often depicted with scrolls in their mouths) are considered to be messengers to the Gods.

I love the above photo and the others which follow. These are the thousands of Toriis leading up the mountain. Gorgeous.

Pictured avover: There is Jess, getting ready to embark on her Kitsune adventure.

Pictured above: Masa and I getting ready for a bit of a hike.

Pictured above: At the top of the mountain we stopped for a light lunch of soba (buckwheat) noodles and a spectacular view of Kyoto.

Above: A view of Kyoto from the top of the mountain.
Below: A number of shrines/places of prayer to various deities were built along the path leading into the mountain.

Above: Look closely, do you see the kitty? At one particular spot on the path, there were a number of kitties, hanging out. What a perfect home on the side of the mountain, protected from the elements by various shrines.