When I was in Japan, in Kyoto, I really wanted to look at a magical place that attracts millions of tourists from around the world. It is the Fushimi Inari Shrine. With thousands of orange Tori gates which create one of the most unusual pilgrimage routes.
At the entrance to the shrine and actually every few steps you can meet stone statues of foxes with a sinister look. As I looked at their faces, shivers of anxiety flowed through my body. The foxes had a very intense, menacing expression. This so-called Zenko foxes - temple guardians, good creatures who guard to defend her against danger. I have to admit that they arouse respect and I would not like to be their enemy ;) Good that they are. You can get something useful from them and also discover such strength within you - to set boundaries and inspire respect.
A visit to Fushimi Inari means above all a long hike under the orange Tori gates. People are walking a few kilometers in this way, going up the hill. Sometimes you have to climb steep stairs. Some compare the passage of this route to a short pilgrimage. I felt there as if I would go into meditation more than once. When i was walking constantly under the same orange pillars I felt like my mind was calming down.
In Shinto temples, people write blessings on mall wooden plaques Ema (絵馬) and attach them in a designated place. At Fushimi Inari, wooden plagues were shaped like foxes faces.
You could be creative and paint them any expression on their face :)
What bothered me during the visit was the number of people. I made the first attempt to visit this temple during the day, but the number of tourists overwhelmed me. Traffic jams formed beneath Tori's gates. Fortunately, when I returned there in the evening it was much better. The photo shows people - on the way back ;) Roads - they were almost empty to the top.
It got darker though ... ^^
There were warnings in several places that monkey attacks were occurring.
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Fortunately, I didn't see any. There were a lot of cats instead.
In addition to the huge Tori gates, the temple also has a lot of miniatures.
The situation is similar with Zenko foxes. They could be seen in various sizes - from huge statues to medium and even miniatures.
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Another nice surprise awaited us during walking in the upper parts of the route, an amazing view of Kyoto :)
I am very happy that I could experience it.
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