Infinity gates

Before we went to Japan, I saw a picture of these seemingly infinite rows of orange gates and I knew we had to go there.

This is at the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto, dedicated to the gods of wine and sake.  It’s a peaceful site with wooded paths running up the Inari mountain, and small shrines and eating stalls dotted along the way. The gates – known as torii – are behind the main shrine building.  They are even more impressive in person. When you stand at the head of the gate, it winds round in a tunnel of orange sunshine.  The inscriptions on the posts look like lines of prayers, but I later discovered that they are the names of the people & companies who made donations for the gates. Look out for the fox statues which guard the gates. They are the Inari messengers (… sounds very Twilight !)

~ Spotted Cow