Day 7 summit conquerors and night hike

Today we have the visit to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine on the agenda. The shrine is known for its seemingly endless number of torii gates.

A torii is a traditional Japanese gate that is usually found at the entrance of Shinto shrines. It consists of two vertical posts and a horizontal beam that connects them. The torii symbolizes the separation between the ordinary and the sacred world and reminds people that they are entering a holy place.

Since we already know that the shrine will be completely crowded, we plan the hike for the afternoon and early evening. We hope to keep the number of visitors as low as possible.

Before we head to the shrine, we visit the Higashi Hongan-ji, the mother temple of Shinto Buddhism. It is a monstrous building that was rebuilt in 1892. From the courtyard, we can hear that a ceremony is taking place inside, and we decide to go in. Before entering, we take off our shoes, as is customary in any religious building or home. Since the temple is covered with tatami mats, this is not a problem, and it would be wrong to leave our shoes on here.

Why do you have to take off your shoes?

Shoes are taken off in Buddhist temples to show respect for the place and to symbolically leave behind the dirt and chaos of the outside world and immerse oneself in the spiritual atmosphere of the temple.

We take a seat and listen to the monks' chanting. In this environment, I enjoy the singing and appreciate being in the right place at the right time.

Since our time is limited, we don't stay until the end and head to the main destination of the day. When we arrive at the shrine, we realize that our plan is not working out completely. We reach the famous shrine at 4 p.m. and have similar feelings as at the Asakusa Shrine, if not worse. There is no centimeter of space left while walking through the torii gates. Like a homogeneous mass, tourists push their way to the top. There is little space for peace and quiet to let the surroundings sink in.

For us, this is the end for now. We turn around and decide to climb the summit via a small path off the main route. It is much more pleasant here. Although there are still some people coming our way, it is not nearly as bad as at the main entrance. After 40 minutes, we reach the summit and take a moment to catch our breath. I take advantage of the tranquility here to pray at the Inari Shrine. This is unusual for me, as I am not religious. However, I have learned here to take the time to reflect and process my wishes and fears.

After a short rest, we start our descent. It is 6 p.m. and the sun will set in half an hour. We have plenty of time if we take the right path and don't take any smaller paths in the woods. We come to a fork in the road and decide not to take the paved path, but to take a detour through the bamboo forest. It is truly breathtaking here, with huge bamboo trees like I have never seen before.

It is truly breathtaking here - huge bamboo trees like I have never seen before. I'm not sure if it's worth visiting the bamboo forest in Kyoto, or if we will be disappointed because of the many tourists. Here we experience pure nature without any alteration by humans. However, the trail is challenging, and there are several reasons to turn back:

- Inappropriate footwear

- Slippery ground

- Lack of lighting

- The trail is not marked on any map

So with a heavy heart, we turn back and take the 'boring' regular path. In hindsight, it was the better decision.

After another 10 minutes of walking, we have to illuminate our way with the flashlight on our phones. Almost at the end of the descent, we encounter a family and can only advise against taking this path to the mountain top. With small children, chaos is guaranteed here.

Now we finally have what we want - the torii gates all to ourselves. At night, the complex appears even more mystical and spiritual than during the day. I would recommend taking this route to experience the torii gates during both day and night.

Tomorrow we will go to Kobe and finally try the world-famous Kobe beef. That's why we take the train back and prepare for bed.