Top Tips For Visiting The Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto
One of the most beautiful and iconic attractions in Kyoto that I would urge everyone to see at least once in their lifetime is the Fushimi Inari Shrine.
This was right at the top of our bucket list of things to do when we were in Kyoto. It’s beautiful red gates are the image you’ll see on the cover of most books about Japan (including my own!) and we were all excited to see it with our own eyes.
Kyoto wasn’t the boys favourite destination on our trip. It was so so crowded that they had to stay super close, holding our hands all day. They don’t like it when they don’t have the freedom to roam about!
But we all agreed that the Fushimi Inari Shrine was well worth visiting.
Like almost all shrines in Japan, entry to the Fushimi Inari Shrine is free. So no need to buy a ticket (and great for those travelling on a budget too!) But because the shrine is so famous, and attracts so huge numbers of tourists, you do need a bit of a game plan if you want to make the most out of your visit.
Here are our top tips for visiting the Fushimi Inari Shrine:
- 1. Arrive Early
- 2. Keep Climbing
- 3. Consider Booking a Tour
- 4. Wear Comfortable Shoes
- 5. Be Respectful
- 6. Bring Cash With You
- 7. Getting From Osaka To Kyoto
Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
1. Arrive Early
This is one of the most popular shrines in Kyoto, which means that it can be seriously crowded, especially during peak tourist seasons and in the middle of the day.
I looked through my camera roll, and the first photo I took of the shrine was at 7.54 am. We left our hotel in Osaka just after 7 am, stopping for breakfast on the way. We weren’t the only ones there, but the shrine was definitely quiet enough at this time of the day.
If you only follow one tip, make it this one! Arrive early to beat the crowds and get those all-important photos without half of Japan standing in front of your camera!
The shrine is open 24/7, so you can arrive as early (or indeed, as late if you’re a night owl!) as you want.
2. Keep Climbing
Fushimi Inari Shrine is home to approximately 10,000 torii gates. These wind their way from the shrine structure at the bottom and up Mount Inari, which is 233 metres tall.
The Fushimi Inari walking trail is a 2.7 mile loop trail. The trail takes an average of 1.5–2 hr to complete. Now I’m not suggesting you walk for hours if that’s not your idea of a good time. But if the bottom is too crowded for your liking, then you’ll find that the further you walk up, the smaller the crowds will be.
Because we were there so early, we didn’t need to go to the top (at this point our youngest was only 6, and we didn’t want to use all his energy on this shrine when we had other attractions we wanted to see on the same day). Other things to do in Kyoto are included in our 14 day Japan itinerary with kids.
We walked for around half an hour up the mountain and then half an hour back down again. But we plan to go back next year, and we intend to walk the whole loop this time!
3. Consider Booking a Tour
If hopping from shrine to shrine, navigating public transport and finding temples (that aren’t always particularly easy to find) all seems like too much hard work, then you could consider booking a tour.
Klook offers a day trip that takes you from the Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine as well as taking in the Arashiyama, and Kiyomizu-Dera on a Day Tour around Kyoto. What I like about this idea is it would be very difficult to see all of these sites by yourself in a single day (we spent two days seeing these three sites) so its a great choice for anyone that wants to see as much as possible but is short on time.
Klook currently have a last-minute 40% offer for this day tour with adult tickets costing £33.25 and tickets for children between 3-12 costing £30.25.
👉Check availability and book the Fushimi Inari Kyoto day tour here
👉Use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK to get an extra 5% off listed prices
4. Wear Comfortable Shoes
To get to the Fushimi Inari shrine, you’ll have to walk up a small hill, and then you’ll be walking up stairs to pass through the gates themselves. We all did this in our trainers: I think wearing comfortable shoes is an absolute must.
Japanese teens and women must be made of sterner stuff than I, because I saw so many visiting the shrines and temples we explored in heels. My feet were hurting at the end of the day even when I had my most comfortable trainers on!
5. Be Respectful
Finally, it’s so important to be respectful. Although to us this is an incredible, scenic tourist attraction, to the local people this is a significant religious site. We talked to the boys about this before we arrived so that they knew to be quiet and calm (just like they would on the rare occasions we go to church). And actually this was easy, because the whole place has such a serene atmosphere.
Following local customs and practices, including bowing at the main gate, using the water fountains, and being mindful of other visitors, adds an extra cultural nuance to the visit and ensured that we were maintaining that same level of respect. And learning about new cultures and religions is never a bad thing: it’s one of the reasons we travel!
6. Bring Cash With You
On the trail you’ll find small shops and restaurants. And at the base of the shrine and leading into the the shrine as stalls selling street food. Perfect for refuelling after a long walk, or for grabbing some bottled water before you start your walk.
It all looked so appealing that after we’d explored the shrine and while we were walking back into the city the boys got one of everything: they especially loved the beef skewers while I was eating juicy strawberries surrounded by mochi.
However many of these shops, stalls and restaurants only accept cash. Carry some cash with you so that you don’t have to smell all the good stuff but keep on walking!
7. Getting From Osaka To Kyoto
It’s worth noting that we actually didn’t stay in Kyoto at all! Because Kyoto and Osaka are so close together, we decided to stay in a hotel in Osaka and use it as a base for our daytrips, including two days in Kyoto. This might not work for everyone, but it definitely worked for us.
The fastest way to get between Osaka and Kyoto is by bullet train. We had already purchased the Whole Japan JR Rail Passes for our trip, so this meant we didn’t have to pay any extra for these journeys. You can read about if these passes will be good value for your family here.
Don’t have a JR Pass? The cheapest way to get between Osaka and Kyoto is on the metro. The fastest way to get between the two destinations is just to book single Shinkansen tickets.
👉You can book these here. And don’t forget to use code THATMUMTRAVEL5KLOOK for an extra discount.
Have you ever visited the Fushimi Inari Shrine? How did you find the experience? And I’d love to know what your kids thought of the experience too! We can’t wait to go back now that the boys are a bit older so that we can dedicate a couple of hours to exploring the whole shrine!
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Heads up! This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a very small commission – at no extra cost to you. This helps to keep the blog going. Thanks for the support!
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