Vulpine Divine

Today I was spirited away to a world of foxes and rice at the Fushimi Inari shrines, Inari, outside of Kyoto. Inari is the Shinto god of rice and foxies are believed to be his messengers. The shrines are scattered amid woodland over several hillsides, and are connected by domino-like corridors of red torii gates. These enchanting tunnels of red climb steadily up and down hills, and when they conclude they open out onto tiered, hotch-potch shrines that are like tiny mazes. Stone shrines of differing heights shoulder each other for space and create crooked laneways and conceal secret pathways. Many of the shrines were adorned with burning candles and all were flanked with stone foxes, often carrying keys in their mouths for the rice granary. This has to be one of my favourite places so far. I wandered around for hours in a happy dream of foxes and forests.