Walking through Torii Gates

We took the train to Kyoto to visit the Fushimi-Inari Shrine, a fox shrine where you pray for good luck. Shrines are part of practicing the Shinto (Way of the Gods) religion which is the indigenous form of worship in Japan. Most life events, beginning at birth, are celebrated with a Shinto ritual accessing the essences and spirits in the natural forces in the world. Shinto is said to be a philosophical path which understands the interrelated complexity of humans and nature.

It was a gorgeous fall day and the leaves had turned. We were surrounded by oranges, yellows and reds.

The shrine sits on the south-east side of the city at the base of a mountain and includes a long trail up and around the mountain side. We entered through a large vermillion Torii gate which marks the transition point from the profane to the sacred. It was protected by two large foxes, one with a ball in its mouth the other with a key. It is said the key unlocks the door to the rice granary- rice being the traditional signifier of wealth in Japan. Lucas was afraid of their eyes which do tend to have a piercing affect. There were thousands of Japanese people who had come to pray and some were dressed in Kimono. This just added to the beauty of the place.

We began our ascent and noticed a mini shrine with a beautiful ornate horse inside and carrots resting on the edge as offerings. Eleanor liked being here and as we didn’t have carrots we left some acorns we found on the ground. We prayed that one day we might have our own horses to take care of.

We continued to follow the crowds and found ourselves inside the Torii gate tunnel on a meditative walk uphill. Successful companies have donated the gates and there are thousands upon thousands of them all lined up about a foot apart along the miles of mountain trails. We stopped about half way for an o-bento lunch and a break which allowed for some good people watching. The vermillion tunnel doesn’t allow for a view of the surrounding forest until it opens up at rest stops along the way and once higher up the view of Kyoto is fantastic. We counted fifty four foxes guarding various mini shrines along the way.

Needless to say we didn’t make it all the way around as the children gave up at the top. We had climbed a good distance and it was time for the descent. We took a route that led out of the gates and through the forest where stone pagodas offset the colour of the leaves. We hoped that all the praying for good luck that had surrounded us would ensure some of it came our way.