Tori Path

Tori Path in Kyoto, Japan—The Entrance to Fumishi Inari Temple

Kyoto is a prefecture in Japan where you can see temples, shrines, and historical buildings. Most of their shrines are constructed as tributes to their gods or leaders. Japan is a country that produces rice. The Japanese eat rice everyday. Because of this, thousands of their shrines are dedicated to Inari, the Rice God of Shinto. However, one shrine for Inari stands out among the rest, the Fumishi Inari Shrine in Kyoto because of its Tori Path.

Before you arrive at the shrine, you have to pass through a path made up of thousands of Tori gates. You will usually see a Tori Gate in Shinto shrines. This gate is made up of two vertical poles on either side topped by a horizontal pole called kasagi. Just below the top horizontal pole is another horizontal pole that they call nuki. The usual colour of Tori is vermillion.

In the Fumishi Inari Temple, the thousands of Tori gates lined up one after the other make up the Tori Path. And the path is long. You do not have any other option but to walk on the path for 2 hours, longer if you will stop to take pictures. You should wear something comfortable to make the walk easier and you should be physically fit before you decide to go there. After all, a two-hour trek is not an easy thing to do.

The fire red orange colour of the Tori gates is a great contrast against the lush green backdrop of the forest that surrounds the shrine. This is an experience that can only be seen in Japan.

Tori Path