torii, torii, torii!

On our last morning in Kyoto, we took my parents to something I consider a must-see, the Fushimi Inari Shrine with the thousands (millions?) of torii.  Torii are the orange gates often found at the entrance to shrines.

There are so many torii it's more like walking in a big orange tunnel than through the woods.  We didn't have time the morning we went with my parents, but when Jeff and I went to Kyoto on our own, we hiked the whole trail to the top of the mountain to see the inner shrine and walked through every one. 

Hurry up you slow pokes!  There's a lot to see!

When looking from the back, as in the picture below, the name of the organization or person that donated is it on the left pillar; the date it was erected and the builder is on the right.  All of the torii have been donated by businesses, many of them sake breweries from what Jeff could determine, as an offering in the hope that it will bring success.  There are huge, brand new, freshly painted torii, smaller and more modest torii, and even tiny ones, that individuals can purchase and leave as an offering higher up the mountain.

I think they enjoyed themselves, even though we didn't have the time to make it to the top (in all honesty, they didn't miss too much - just A LOT more torii).

So long Kyoto!  Back to Tokyo for one last awesome dinner, then K&S head home.

Jeff and I will be back though! 

Mata ne,
Melissa