fushimi inari

the first menu on our second day but first day in kyoto was fushimi inari. last time we were in kyoto, we only managed to go to kiyomizu-dera, while my in-laws and her colleague went to fushimi inari. this time i decided to go to fushimi inari. i wanted to visit as many temples or attractions as we could since we didn't bring any kids along with us. i honestly didn't know fushimi inari ground whatsoever. i just thought it would be numerous red gate (or torii). then i found out that fushimi inari was really close to tofukuji temple. even some people suggested to do both at the same time. i asked my husband if he wanted to do that and he said we could try. so i saved a hiking trail from the website that i found. actually there were two website, but the first one didn't give the complete guide from fushimi inari to tofukuji. it only covered fushimi inari (check it here) so we decided to follow the second one that gave direction to make turn to tofukuji (check it here). but first let's start from the start.

the entrance

since we were using the kansai area pass, we had to use JR line to maximize the use of the pass (because it offered unlimited rides) so we took the train to inari station. once we arrived at inari station, it was easy to find fushimi inari. it only took a super short walk to the entrance gate. fyi, fushimi inari was free of admission and it opened 24 hours. we arrived there quite early as we couldn't sure that we could manage the hike to tofukuji, so better start early. when we arrived, there were already crowded but not too crowded. we could still walk without brushing with other people. if you're interested in visiting fushimi inari, i would suggest you wear proper attire, such as comfortable clothes (maybe just shirt and pants of jeans work best) and walking shoes (perhaps sandal works too, but some stairs might be slippery, so shoes works better in my opinion). i've seen people stopping because their feet hurt.

you see me

now you don't

there were only stairs and gates at fushimi inari. at first, the stairs were short and there were some flat surfaces here and there, so you didn't feel catching your breath at all. there were lots of other people stopping and taking pictures, so you'd totally think you could make it. but once you saw a bunch of torii gates in front of you, you'd see numerous stairs going up. and it didn't stop for awhile. my husband totally lost his breath doing all those walk up the stairs. not all the stairs were wide enough, but you could stand aside to catch your breath while other people passed you, but you had to be careful. in some spots, the other side was bamboo forest and maybe the land was far away from the stairs, so be careful.

now, let me tell you the difficulty we faced. we saw the instruction and looked for the same sign that the instruction told us to see to go to tofukuji. but unfortunately, all the signs we found was different, and it was in japanese so we had no idea. we didn't know whether we followed the right path or not. but we managed to go almost up to the top of mt. inari. there was this flat surface and there was a small shop where people stopped and drank and took some rest. and it was quite crowded. at that point, you could see the city view, but not too clearly since there were some trees covering the view. but it was worth the hike. anyway, at that stop point, there was this shop owner giving people directions about tofukuji. i overheard them and i asked him after the other people moved on, and he pointed the directions to tofukuji. so we followed his directions and it was very different from the guide that we planned to follow.

the walk to tofukuji was relatively easy, but we had to be careful, because it was downward. and there were no steps. it was just normal road so we had to walk diagonally so we wouldn't fall down. then we arrived in the residential area, and it was no sign to point which way to tofukuji, so we turned to google maps to guide us. but apparently, if you're not zooming close enough, you could make the wrong turn. so make sure you zoom all the way till you can see all the crossroads. anyway, we made it to tofukuji. it took us about 1 hours (or less) to go almost to the top, then arrived at tofukuji. but we took a lot of resting, since my husband lost a lot of breath going up all that stairs. but if you're fit enough, you could make it faster than us.

okay, so i saw some parents brought along their kids, from babies in their strollers to young kids roughly 4-6 years. but let me tell you, bringing kids might be okay, but bringing strollers might be a mistake. there were lots of steps, so you basically had to carry your baby and folded your stroller. so it was twice the job if you're bringing your stroller. i had to say if you wanted to bring your baby, better do it with baby carriers. then travel light. perhaps store the heavy bags at the station and just brought some changing clothes and water bottle. there were some vending machine selling water and various drinks, so you shouldn't worry much when you ran out of water. now, if your kids were big enough, and they could walk, then make sure that they were fit enough to climb numerous stairs. or you were fit enough to carry them when they're tired. my advice, maybe wait until they're teenager to go with you. but it's up to you. same goes to elder people. if they had no problem walking and climbing up the stairs, and no health issue, especially cardiac issue, then they could go. but if they had knee problems, walking problems, and some cardiac issue, perhaps they shouldn't climb all the way to mt.inari and just wandered around the main hall. or just wait at tofukuji if you're planning to do both of them at once. tofukuji was better option for kids and elder people. and probably don't go there in the summer. we went there in early autumn so it was still sunny but it wasn't that hot and humid, so perhaps spring or autumn were better option. anyway... this was a good start in the morning, a bit exercise in a fun way.