Inari Shrines and Magic Waterfalls

Fushimi-Inari Train Station

The first thing you see after you enter the shrine grounds.

You should wash your hands before you enter the grounds.

So Last week we went on a field trip to Kyoto, It was really fun, so full of history. We first went to the Fushimi-Inari Shrine. It's the one you see in films with the "hallways" of Tori Gates (the big red, wood gates) that just go on forever. It was soooo pretty! I never wanted to leave. 

Other than the Tori Gates (Tori means "Bird" in Japanese) the shrines are just filled with Fox (Inari) statues all over the place. Inari is the Shinto deity of rice and the harvest and is depicted as both male and female. This god(dess) is also believed to be able to take the shape of a fox, hence all the foxes around the shrines. (S)He also uses foxes as messengers, and they often play important roles in mythology. 

There are typically two everywhere you go. They line the walkways and doorways.

The shrines are sprawled up a mountainside and up to the summit. It takes over an hour and a half to make it to the top, my group did not have that much time, so we only made it about a half hour up. At that point there is a little lake. And while we were at the lake, there was a nice little old lady that was shocked that 1. We were a bunch of white kids going to school at Shitennoji University in Osaka, and 2. That there was a university in Osaka. She was so funny, and very nice. I have some video that I cannot post here, so if you are interested to see the lake and the old lady, or video of walking through the Tori gates, talk to me and I will show you. :) 

With this shrine, you were supposed to make a wish. Then stand before the large stone and imagine how heavy it is. Next, go pick up the stone: if it is lighter than your imagined it to be, your wish will come true. If it is heavier than you imagined, then you wish will not come true. I imagined the rock to be so heavy that I was crushed beneath it's weight, but when I picked it up I still struggled. So... wish granted?

Thousands of little shrines, and up up up they go. The lake was right behind those shrines at the top.

There is writing on most of the backsides of the Tori Gates (I am facing backwards), and they are the names of people who have generously donated to the shrine. There may be more, but we're not quite sure what else they say.

My roommate is going to return to the shrines after our program ends, and she's gonna hike to the top.  :) So I'm excited to take a look at her pictures, and see for myself what the rest of the shrine grounds look like.

What else do you expect me to do with a little tree stump sticking out of the ground?

A little tourist shop had a bunch of Daruma! 

After the Fushimi-Inari shrine, our group headed over to the Kiyomizudera Buddhist Temple, which is about a five minute train ride and a twenty minute walk away.

 The Temple has a waterfall that splits into three parts. It is said that each of the three waterfalls has a magical property. From left to right (looking onward) If you drink from the first waterfall, you will gain a strong, healthy body. If you drink from the second waterfall, you will gain intelligence. If you drink from the third waterfall, you will gain happiness.

We saw a lot of people dressed in traditional, summer Yukata. People like to dress up to go to special places, like the temple.

The story of the origin of the waterfalls.

Viewed from the back.

All different kinds of people come to drink.

When I had made my way to the waterfalls I had forgotten the order, so I actually didn't drink from the one I had previously intended. I ended up drinking from the first, the one in which you gain health and strength. I was told by someone (an idiot) that it was totally fine to drink from all three. But I thought to myself: "When has greed, in any form, ever been rewarded in any way? If you get greedy, something will happen to you, and you will become a moral/warning for everyone else." Upon my return, I was told that yes, drinking from all three would have been a horrible idea, and I felt vindicated. It was really fun to let everything go and believe in magic for a while. :)

These are Priestesses of the Shrines and Temples. They stand outside the grounds in one spot and pray silently. They dont move, they dont talk. They stand so that you will see them and think to give donations to the shrines and temples, but they dont beg. It's quite interesting. The above Priestess was at Fushimi-Inari, and the one below was at Kiyomizudera.