Fushimi Inari-taisha Temple

Address: Fushimi Inari Taisha, 68 Fukakusa Yabunouchō, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-0882, Japan

Website: https://inari.jp/en/

Hours: Open daily 24 hours (main shrine buildings accessible during daytime)

Admission: Free (Shinto shrine; no admission fee)

Fushimi Inari-taisha is a major Shinto shrine in southern Kyoto Prefecture, established in 711 AD and dedicated to the rice deity Inari. It is best known for long covered walks of donated torii gates that climb Mount Inari behind the shrine.

The site is famous for the dense tunnels of torii - commonly called Senbon Torii - that run for about 4 km of interconnected paths up the mountain and through wooded slopes. The approach also includes the main shrine buildings at the base, numerous subsidiary shrines, and hundreds of fox statues of various sizes.

Founded in the early 8th century, the shrine has been maintained and expanded by merchants and local donors over centuries and remains an active place of worship. The gate-donation tradition and many individual plaques reflect continuing private and corporate patronage.

Fushimi Inari-taisha sits in Fushimi ward, on the southeastern edge of central Kyoto, on and around Mount Inari. The site is a short train ride from Kyoto Station and is accessed by its own station on the JR and private lines, with paths climbing into wooded terrain.

• Best time to visit: Early morning (before 8:00) and late afternoon reduce crowding on the torii trails; many visitors visit outside peak daytime hours for clearer photos.
• Fox statues: Stone and bronze fox statues appear throughout the grounds; foxes are regarded as messengers of the shrine’s deity, Inari.

What to See#

• Senbon Torii: A network of mainly vermilion torii gates forming tunnels along the shrine trails, donated by individuals and companies; the most famous stretch runs from the lower shrine area up the mountain.
• Main Shrine: The main worship buildings at the base of the site, including the haiden where ceremonial offerings are made and typical Shinto architectural elements such as gabled roofs and wooden construction.
• Mount Inari Summit: The summit of Mount Inari at about 233 m above sea level reached by a roughly 4 km round-trip network of paths and smaller shrines, offering views over Kyoto from higher points on the trail.

Fushimi Inari-taisha is immediately adjacent to JR Inari Station on the JR Nara Line - it’s a 1-2 minute walk from the station to the shrine’s main torii gate. You can also reach it from Fushimi-Inari Station on the Keihan Main Line, which is a few minutes’ walk. From central Kyoto the shrine is an easy short-train ride and walk.

• Go at dawn or late evening: the torii tunnel is far less crowded before 7:00 a.m. and after dusk, making it easier to walk several hundred meters of the trail without tour-group traffic.
• Enter from Inari Station (JR) for the shortest walk to the main shrine and torii approach, then continue up the mountain to reach quieter upper trails and the Yotsutsuji lookout where most day visitors turn back.
• Walk past the dense front-of-shrine crowds and follow the up-mountain trail: the sections beyond the busiest gate open onto smaller sub-shrines and local cedar forests that many visitors miss.