Fushimi-Inari Taisha is known as the 10,000 gate temple and can be found in Kyoto prefecture. The paths weaving around the area are shielded by thousands of red torii gates leading to viewing platforms and shrines. 

This location first captured my attention when I began to see videos of its gates online. However, what drew me to it was the challenge it imposed.

Most influencers who visited Fushimi-Inari would not take the whole path to the top of the mountain. They’d take a few photos, say some nice things and leave.

I couldn’t believe the audacity of the influencers. Why go if you don’t get the whole experience? I hate quitting things halfway through, so I decided to go there and prove to myself the climb wasn’t as bad as others made it seem.

Fushimi-Inari was a mystery to me. No videos showed what could be at the end of the paths on top of Mount Inari. Could it be a shrine, a statue or an incredible view? I had to find out.

As soon as I arrived, I was caught in the afternoon rush. The streets were clogged with tourists coming and going as street vendors speedily passed out dishes.

In the videos online, the location looked quiet and serene. In reality, it was a tourist hotspot flooded with shops and people. I moved as quickly as I could to get out of the crowd and into the shrine.

The first several hundred gates were the most crowded. That’s where the aforementioned tourists lingered. The gradual slope of the path made it easy to take photos, but the condensed aspect of it made it hard to get any without people in the background.

The more stairs I encountered, the more the crowd began to thin out, and I eventually reached the first viewing platform. 

At that moment, I felt proud of my achievement for making it so far being only a little out of breath. That was until a child bounded up the stairs past me. The cat following after didn’t help my self esteem either.

The viewing platforms were where most of the crowd stopped. Most of the path from then on was steep staircases.

This was also the quietest part of the Shrine and the emptiest place I’d ever been in Kyoto since my trip to Nara. The views made me forget my exhaustion but only for a moment.

This is when I began to realize that some of the influencers might have made the right decision by turning back early. I was a little more than halfway there but breathing heavily. 

I was thirsty too, but vending machines were non-existent at this point and the few I had found earlier came with tourist price tags. There were also not many ledges to rest on once I started ascending the final staircase. 

Once I made it, I breathed a sigh of relief. I was proud to have completed it but confused by what I found.

The shrine on the top of Mount Inari was intricate but small and shrouded by trees. There was no view from the top I could see.

Despite how it may sound, I’m not disappointed in my trip to Fushimi-Inari. This temple is the embodiment of the question: ‘What’s more important? The journey or the destination?’ 

In this case, I’d say journey. 

The numerous side paths and maze-like map encouraged guests to explore nature. There were many ways to have a good time there — not just through the hikes but through the shopping and the street food.

I plan to go back to Fushimi-Inari this Thursday to visit a nearby restaurant and I guarantee I will at least revisit the paths on ground level.

Curtin can be reached at [email protected].