Shrine · Fushimi
Fushimi Inari Taisha 伏見稲荷大社
Head shrine of the 30,000 Inari shrines of Japan, with roughly 10,000 vermilion torii forming tunnels that wind up sacred Mt. Inari, open 24 hours and free.
About
Fushimi Inari Taisha was founded in 711 and enshrines Inari, the deity of rice, business and prosperity, whose messengers are foxes, depicted throughout the grounds with keys and jewels in their mouths. The famous torii gates have been donated by companies and individuals for centuries, their names and dates inscribed on the back; the Senbon Torii double tunnels just behind the main hall are the iconic scene. The full circuit of Mt. Inari, 233 m high, is about 4 km and takes 2-3 hours, passing thousands of stone altars, small shrines, fox statues, teahouses and graves of torii. Most visitors turn back at Yotsutsuji, a viewpoint about halfway up with a sweeping view over southern Kyoto. The shrine was the most popular sight among foreign visitors to Japan for years, so timing makes all the difference.
Highlights
- Senbon Torii, the double tunnel of vermilion gates
- Some 10,000 torii covering the 4 km mountain circuit
- Fox messenger statues with keys and jewels in their mouths
- Yotsutsuji viewpoint over southern Kyoto
- Inari-zushi and kitsune udon at the mountain teahouses
Tips
- Come before 7:00 or after dark: the shrine never closes, and lantern-lit torii at night are atmospheric.
- Past Yotsutsuji, the crowds thin dramatically; continue clockwise to the summit if you have time.
- Omokaru-ishi stones let you test whether a wish will come true by lifting them.
- JR Inari Station is right at the gate; Keihan Fushimi-Inari Station is 5 min.
Open in Google Maps · Info checked 2026-10-09
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Open in the appNearby
- Coin Lockers · Inari Station (JR Nara Line)Luggage Storage · 170 m away
- Coin Lockers · Fushimi-Inari Station (Keihan)Luggage Storage · 370 m away
- Tofuku-jiTemple · 1.0 km away
- Fushimi Inari Yotsutsuji ViewpointVista & View · 1.2 km away
- Sennyu-ji TempleTemple · 1.4 km away
- Coin Lockers · Tofukuji Station (Keihan)Luggage Storage · 1.6 km away
- Don Quijote Kyoto AvantiUnique Store · 2.2 km away
- Sagawa Kyoto Station Delivery Service Counter (Hachijo Exit)Luggage Storage · 2.3 km away