Shrine and Dine

After spending one glorious day wandering around Kyoto, exploring the local shopping scene...

(I'm not going to let it go. The Door Handle Collection is insane.)

...and dining-upon-the-river scene..

...Keith and I didn't blog about it (unless you count the pics above) and instead slept so that we could get up early and go on An Epic Journey through Time Itself in order to experience some local Shinto Shrines.

First up was the Kiyomizu-dera Temple, perched atop a little shopping area. It was somewhat under siege by construction and children visiting on class trips...

...but it was beautiful nonetheless. It was lovely, but definitely felt like a tourist stop when compared to the Fushimi-Inari-Taisha grounds:

It was pretty jam-packed, too because of its series of more than ten thousand orange torii gates, which lead you up to the top of Mt. Inari, with stops along the way at more than a dozen shrines.

The torii gates have been donated over the years, starting in 711 AD.

They are breathtaking...

...They are beautiful...

...and they go up for EVER.

These grounds are, essentially, a journey toward beauty and peace that is designed to kill you before you make it to the end, conveniently located 233 meters (about 765 feet) atop Mt. Inari.

Did I mention it was super hot and humid? Because it was super hot and humid.

We began to wonder if we'd even make it. And it wasn't just us...

...even some of the torii gates were all: "Yeah, we're all set."

As we got up further and further, the crowd thinned out. Most of them lay dead upon the sides of the trail...I felt it wasn't appropriate to post those photos, however. So I've chosen instead to showcase this traditional, spiritual journey.

Brought to you by Kirin™

That being said, after a few hours...and a few bottles of water, which you cannot throw out anywhere...

...we (barely) made it up the mountain.

It may have been heat exhaustion, but it was really, truly a majestic (nine mile total) experience.

Also majestic: The ensuing shower and delightful dinner we had at the hotel.

We had some cocktails at the Princess Hotel bar...

... before heading to the Princess Hotel's delicious Hoen Restaurant - a Teppen grill. (Picture a super-fancy Benihana, and then imagine that instead of throwing garbage hot food into your mouth, they serve up the best goddamned meal this side of Mt. Inari.)

It was on par with the Sushi Experience from Tokyo. So much deliciousness.