The hike to the summit of 233m Mt. Inari-san and the pilgrimage circle around the shrines near the top is one of the most interesting short walks around Kyoto. It’s also the best way to see all of Fushima-Inari Taisha Shrine.
Hike Data
Time: about 3 hours
Distance: about 5km
Difficulty: moderate
If you’re looking for an easy hike in the hills around Kyoto, and don’t want to spend too much energy or time getting there, then this Fushimi-Inari pilgrimage hike is a great choice. It starts at Keihan Fushimi-Inari Station or JR Inari Station, both of which are only a few minutes south of central Kyoto by train. The hike involves a bit of stair climbing, but if you take it slow, it’s not too strenuous. For much of the hike, you’ll be passing through hypnotic arcades of vermillion torii (Shinto shrine gates). And you’ll pass various shrines and subshrines along the route. And, at one point, you’ll be treated to an incredible view across all of southern Kyoto.
Just be warned: Fushimi-Inari-Taisha is one of the most popular sights in Kyoto. It’s especially popular with large groups of mainland Chinese tourists. This means that the area around the main hall and the lower trails can be very crowded. If you’re averse to crowds, go early on a weekday morning. But, whenever you go, rest assured that you’ll leave most of the crowds behind as you ascend the mountain.
First, before describing the hike, here’s some information on the torii (Shinto shrine gates) that you’ll be seeing so much of on the mountain:
On the front of the torii, on the left side, you will see the name of the person or company who donated the torii (given using the Japanese imperial year). On the right side, you will see the date that it was donated. This one was donated by Kansai Television (関西テレビ放送 ) in March of 2012 (平成二十四年三月).
On the reverse side of the torii, you will see two kanji: 奉納. These mean “donated” or “offered” and are pronounced “hounou.” They’re read right to left.
Oh, and one more thing: Fushimi-Inari-Taisha enshrines the god Inari, which is the god of the rice harvest, commerce and business. The messenger of the god Inari is the fox. You will see fox images all over the shrine. They sometimes have a key in their mouth, which represents the key to the rice storehouse in ancient times.
(Ref: https://www.insidekyoto.com/fushimi-inari-hike-kyoto)
This was a good hike with a ton of torri gates theoughout the path. It took a whilw to wall the whole trail but it was nice and peaceful. There are numerous shrines throughout the trail and a couple of beautiful scenic views of Kyoto.