It seems we saved the best for last: Fushimi-Inari Taisha was both our favourite temple in Kyoto. We arrived at dusk, neatly avoiding the tourist traffic, and were left, save a few joggers, by ourselves to walk beneath the hundreds and hundreds of red torii. As the light faded, the woods took on quite an eery feel, huge complex spiderwebs illuminated by flickering lamps, mysterious shadows coast on the uneven ground, deadly quiet graves and evil looking statuesof foxes who follwed us wherever we went! With not another soul in sight and souvenir shops and cafes abandoned like a ghost town, we started getting the creeps! Because the Japanese believe that the fox is capable of possessing humans (through the fingernails, of all places) we started joking (ish) that everytime we shivered it was due to one of those pesky foxes.

It was such a unique temple, and I am so glad that we decided to visit it. I had been a bit worried that we would overdose on temple in Kyoto - with over 2000 of them I am sure that would be easy! But each of our visits have been so diferent that we are only left wanting more!

It is impossible, I think, not to feel a sense of spirituality walking through the impeccable grounds of buddhist temples built 1000 years ago - everything is so peaceful. I'm not sure why, but the religious sites here touch me far more than nay catholic churchy I have ever visited, no matter how impressive their architecture may be. I think it might be the harmony with the natural world - every place we visit in Kyoto not only works with the surrounding forests, streams and mountains, but tends to place a focus on these beauties, and it is obvious that often the shrines have been built to complement and blend, not compete.