“Dawn Breaks At A Shinto Shrine” was a music piece produced by Urato Watanabe and we used to play it during band practice in my secondary school days. I can’t recall much of the melody but there were a lot of pounding on the bass drums in particular, it almost sounds like a ritual is taking place at a Shinto Shrine honoring some great festivals.
My favourite Shinto Shrine is Fushimi Inari-taisha, located in Kyoto, where you get not only get to see lines of red tori gates trailing up the mountains, but also spectacular street food once you exit the Fushimi Inari train station!
Let’s visit Fushimi Inari-taisha together!
Pass through the red torri – a traditional Japanese gate – and you’ll see some shrines, Kyoto, Japan (1 May 2016)
Foxes (kitsune) are regarded as messengers and can be seen guarding the shrines, Kyoto, Japan (1 May 2016)
After going up those flights of steps, you will come face-to-face with more red torri gates…. For those who’ve watched “Memoirs of a Geisha” directed by Rob Marshall released in 2005 featuring Chinese actresses Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh, this is the site where little Chiyo ran through those strangely deserted torri gates!
It’s almost impossible to be ‘photobombed’ as there were too many people walking up and down the gates. At this point, there would be a ‘resting point’ for you to enjoy some scenic views of the city, and you can decide to go further up and make a round and go down through more torri gates…
View from the top, Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Kyoto, Japan (18 March 2015)
We’re only halfway there, but its good enough! Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Kyoto, Tokyo (18 March 2015)
We met a cute Shiba Inu on our way down! So adorable! Fushimi Inari-Taisha, Kyoto, Japan (18 March 2015)
Pray for good luck before you leave the shrine 🙂 I picked a ‘slot’ and got quite a good one for my 2016 fortune. I can’t really understand the whole chunk of Japanese text, but I it’s supposed to be good cos of the words “大吉” on the top.
Get ready to ‘splurge’ on street food next!
Do you like “Dango”? This is slightly grilled and is very tasty at 500 Yen per stick!
The BEST BBQ Beef with sauce I’ve ever had! 500 Yen per stick as well!
Giant Snow Crab at 500 Yen per stick as well! I don’t know if its really crab meat, but it sure tastes GOOD!
Giant Premium Californian Oranges, 500 Yen Per Orange. Its super sweet!! Too bad there’s not too much juice in it 😦
You have to finish off with Taiyaki! 150 Yen per piece. There are different fillings inside! All tasted so good!
I’m sure the mood will be different if there are festivals (Matsuri) held at the Shrine, such as New Year.
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