We started with a hike to the iconic Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine grounds… along with a few hundred others. We were not here as devotees but wanted to hike the wooded slopes of Mount Inari. The famous vermilion torii gates are impressive and there are statues of foxes holding symbolic items all along the trail. It was a ‘healthy hike’, about a three miles and took us about 2 hours with lots of stairs and stops along the way.
On the grounds there is also a shine filled with colorful curtains of paper cranes, literally “one thousand cranes” folded by school children for success in their education . Japanese folklore dictates that folding 1,000 origami cranes grants a wish.
We visited Nijo-Jo Castle, this is where the last shogun formally returned power to the Emperor marking the end of the samurai era. The interior is very impressive but there are no photos allowed .
A fun note from my research, the palace was built with “Nightingale” Floors…special squeaky floorboards that chirp like birds when stepped on, acting as a clever security alarm to alert guards to potential intruders or assassins. We can confirm that the floors do chirp, I’m not sure about this folklore story.
In the evening we went to Gion district for a show on Japanese performance arts.
Gion is Kyoto’s most famous historic geisha and entertainment district.
Gion Kobu Crest is seen in the area… Eight interlinked round dango (sweet rice dumplings) arranged in a row, accompanied by the character 甲 (kō).
Lot’s of steps today!
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