伏見稲荷大社

I purchasing some takeout sushi in Kyoto station, then boarded a train south towards Fushimi Inari Taisha. This is one of the most well known shrines in Kyoto, if not Japan, and you've probably seen pictures or heard of it even if you weren't sure what it was. Situated on the side of a mountain, with miles of trails leading above, Fushimi Inari is known for the thousands and thousands of red torii lining the path.

I saw one pilgrim walking the trail and purposefully touching every torii. I walked the path as dusk fell, and into the night. Besides the large torii you walk though, there are thousands of smaller torii situated within a maze of smaller, individual shrines with fox statues and candles and bells. There was hardly anyone on the path besides myself, and I could hear the birds and wild all around me. I even saw some wildlife, a red fox crossed my path and ran away from me, and a pair of raccoon dogs stared down at me from the path above before disappearing.

I followed the paths down, passing countless shrines and through countless torii. I went a different route out than in, so I didn't pass through the main shrine, and instead the neighborhood of houses below slowly merged and replaced the shrine.