Fushimi Inari Taisha at Night

The Best Time to Visit

Much like everyone else on this planet, I absolutely love Kyoto’s Fushimi Inari Taisha. Anyone who has visited knows there is just something ethereally awesome about that endless array of torii gates that is difficult to capture in words. However, the shrine’s popularity has recently become a major thorn in its side. Simply put, these days there are far too many visitors for one to enjoy Fushimi Inari Taisha’s splendor. In fact, the experience can often summon feelings of being at Disneyland instead of honoring consecrated land. And, to make matters worse, the shrine’s mainstream notoriety typically lures the very worst types of tourists.

What then is a traveler who’s allergic to crowds to do? Well, if you’re smart with your scheduling, you can dodge the never-ending hordes at Fushimi Inari Taisha by avoiding peak times. Many online resources will recommend that you wake up very early and make a direct beeline to the shrine before the busloads of tourists descend. While this method is indeed effective, it is something that has already been covered at length elsewhere. Rather than suggest you rise with the sun therefore, I recommend you visit during the late evening instead. You see, few people realize that Fushimi Inari Tashia is actually open 24 hours a day! If you thought the day was otherworldly, you haven’t seen anything yet!