Jason Halayko 
Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto. (©Jason Halayko)
When I lived in Kyoto in the early 2000s, I remember exploring the city and its surrounding areas every chance I got. One place I found myself going back to time and time again was the now world-famous Fushimi Inari Taisha.
The shrine is known for its long mountain paths that are lined with over 10,000 vermilion gates, or torii (鳥居) in Japanese. So when I was recently visiting Kyoto for work and realized I had a whole day free, I thought I would revisit the shrine for the first time again in years.
With the recent influx of international visitors to Japan, and seeing that Fushimi Inari Taisha is considered the number one destination for these visitors, I knew I needed to arrive at the shrine as early as possible. Otherwise, I would be fighting thousands of tourists and not be able to get any of the images I wanted.
As you may know, Japan is currently dealing with overtourism throughout many popular cities. If you plan on trying to get any photos without a lot of people in them, you really need to get there as early as possible, or face the unrelenting crowds!
Racing Against the Clock
On the day of my trip, I planned to get up and catch the first train. Alas, I overslept by about 20 minutes and ended up leaving my hotel a little later than I wanted. Arriving at the local station, I noticed the platform was busier than expected, with a large group of young tourists chatting it up.
Avoiding their car, I boarded the train and headed south to the Fushimi Inari Station. It is just a quick ride south, only about 10-15 minutes, so no time for an early morning nap for fear I would sleep through the station.
Arriving at Fushimi Inari Station, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was one of only a small number of people to exit the train and head towards the shrine.
Still, as I got closer I was quite surprised that there were already many people also arriving. I couldn't dilly-dally in the main shrine area, as my photographic mission was with the mountain paths of torii located behind the main shrine complex.
As I made my way up the stairs to the pathway, I was feeling quite rushed, almost a little panicked even. If I missed the small window at the start of the morning before all the tourists arrived, my whole trip would be for nothing.
The Iconic Shot
Luckily though, there were only a few people ahead of me so no reason to panic just yet.
The most famous section of the torii gates is actually just about 50 meters from the start of the walkway up the mountain. Here the path splits in two, with people going up staying to the right, and people coming back down taking the left path (as seen from below).
This is also where the Torii are packed in so close they basically form a vermillion wall all the way up. It's the section where the iconic photos of the shrine are taken.
As I walked up the path with a couple of people, I wanted to wait for it to clear out. But if I waited too long, more and more people would just keep showing up ... what to do?
A Small Window of Opportunity
As luck would have it, there was no one directly behind me at the best section, so I stopped to allow those people ahead of me to disappear around a corner. But as I waited, I could hear footsteps behind me. Someone was coming! As soon as the person ahead of me disappeared around the corner, I shot away.
Just as I was able to get a couple of horizontal and vertical photos, someone walked past me and into my frame. Oh well, I got what I had come for, so everything else was a bonus.
Now with a lot less pressure on myself, I continued to head up the mountain path. I ended up taking the whole morning reaching the peak and walking along the paths that are beyond. Not only was I able to get some much-needed exercise and fresh air, but I also kept shooting the whole time and got many images that I am quite happy with.
A Worthwhile Trip?
It was worth getting up early, and it was also worth walking the whole route and not just being satisfied with getting the "iconic shot."
As I finished up top and headed back down, it was amazing how many people were now coming up the path. I think if I had arrived even an hour later, I wouldn't have gotten any of the photos I did — at least none without crowds in them. As they say, "early bird gets the worm," and that was 100% true for my trip.
In the end, I had a great time visiting the Fushimi Inari Taisha. But I do miss the days when I was a student and had most of these now super-popular destinations to myself. Back then, I could explore at my own pace. Maybe one day Japan won't be so trendy to visit and I can explore in peace once again. Until then, get that first train!
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Author: Jason Halayko
Jason Halayko is a professional photographer specializing in action sports and portrait photography. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.
