On Day 4 in Kyoto we set out by train to Fushimi Inari to visit the Taisha Shrine, which was awarded 1st Prize by Trip Advisor as the most popular site by foreign visitors 3 years in a row. As we entered the town Jody noticed many young people dressed in traditional Japanese garb.
We were a little hungry and there were many street vendors selling appetizing??? dishes like this. Know what it is? How about fried quail.
This one particularly scared me. I have no idea what it is.
Entering the shrine area.
Fushimi Inari Taisha is the head shrine of Inari, located in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan. The shrine sits at the base of a mountain also named Inari which is 233 metres above sea level, and includes trails up the mountain to many smaller shrines which span 4 kilometers and takes approximately 2 hours to walk up. Since early Japan, Inari was seen as the patron of business, and merchants and manufacturers have traditionally worshipped Inari. Each of the torii at Fushimi Inari Taisha is donated by a Japanese business. First and foremost, though, Inari is the god of rice.
These are some MEAN cats.
To reach the top of the mountain, we set off walking. We did not know at the time that it would take over 2 hours to reach the top on a progressively elevated climb. There are 10,000 Torii gates to the top. Didn't know that either. The map below makes it look easy. NOT!
We've now been walking for about an hour and beginning to wonder, where's the top?
Of course, we weren't the only ones walking, and walking, and walking. At this point, we met an English-speaking couple coming down. They saw that we were getting tired and told us that it was another hour climb. At this point, we had seen enough Torii Gates, and since we had another site to visit, we decided to make our way back down the mountain.
Before we go to our next site, I leave you with this image from the 2005 movie, MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA. This is a wonderful movie with terrific actors and images. Obviously, the adolescent girl running through these famous Torii Gates has a fascinating story to tell. Highly recommended.
We took another train ride, only this time upon exisitng the train we had to walk an additional 15 minutes to our next site. Although a bit tired and hungry, we're glad we pressed on as the gardens around this temple were very beautiful. Tōfuku-ji is a Buddhist temple in Higashiyama-ku.. Tōfuku-ji takes its name from two temples in Nara, Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji. It is one of the so-called Kyoto Gozan or "five great Zen temples of Kyoto". Its honorary sangō prefix is Enichi-san. Originally built in 1236, the temple burned and was rebuilt in the 15th century. Some buildings have been burned and rebuilt in succeeding time periods. The grounds include both Zen dry stone gardens (including this patchwork gravel and stone garden) and moss and tree gardens. It was peaceful and relaxing.
Japanese gardeners literally rake these lines into the sand. Amazing.
FYI: For those who don't know, the 1926 German Expressionistic silent film, METROPOLIS, is one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time, hence my shirt's quote from the film. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
We left this site and headed by train downtown for some shopping and dining at a superb Indian restaurant. Young girls in kimonos were everywhere. Then, we walked to Gion Corner to see a Geisha performance on stage.
There was a great deal of commotion around this vehicle with people trying to get a glimpse of the Geisha inside. Famous Geishas here are like rock stars.
While I stood in line holding our place for the performance, Jody went around eyeballing the exhibits, such as these Geisha shoes.
The performances begin with traditional Japanese music.
Among the skills a Geisha must learn is the art of floral arrangement.
We then were treated to several short, Japanese plays, all accompanied by live on-stage music.
The plays were colorful diversions to the two highlights of the evening, the first of which was a performance by a Geisha.
What a face. And, she never cracked a smile.
The final performance was a Japanese puppet story. There are 3 Japanese puppeteers dressed in black manipulating this one puppet throughout the story. It was amazing watching them and their remarkable coordination.
We then went out into the teeming Kyoto Friday night streets and took the subway back to our lodging. This was a very exhausting and full day.
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