Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

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Fushimi Inari Taisha, the headquarter of over 30,000 Inari shrines across Japan, is famous for its red torii gates, known as Senbon Torii (thousand torii gates). Despite the name, there are actually around 800 gates. The back of each gate features the name of the person, company, or organization that donated it, making the side without text a preferred choice for photos. The reason behind the vast number of donations to Inari Shrine, dedicated to the deity of agriculture and prosperity, has evolved to encompass business prosperity, traffic safety, and wishing for desires. The deity's familiar is a fox, hence the shrine is also referred to as the Fox Shrine, with numerous fox statues. It is said in Japanese culture that foxes like fried tofu, leading to many restaurants near the shrine selling Kitsune Udon and Inari Sushi. The shrine always has visitors, admission is free, and it's open 24 hours, making it accessible early in the morning or late at night. A visit to the nearby Tofukuji Temple is also recommended.