This beautiful and much visited shrine sits at the base of the Inari mountain in the Fushimi ward in Kyoto. The shrine is actually dedicated to the god Inari rather than the mountain, and features the distinctive red torii gates that line the 4km’s of trails that lead up the mountain to the many smaller (but no less photogenic) shrines along the route.

Although the shrine is open 24 hours and there is no entrance fee, it is still a very popular destination, and so for the photographer the real challenge is in capturing the rows of torii gates without the huge crowds. Thankfully there are over 10,000 of these Senbon torii along the main path, each of which has been donated by a Japanese business in gratitude for a wish that has materialized, or in anticipation of a wish to come. This custom began in the Edo period (1603-1868) as although Inari is the god of rice, the deity has traditionally been worshiped as the patron of business.

All the images were captured using my by now much loved Canon 5DSR, along with the 17mm TS-E f4, 24-70 f2.8 L II, 16-35 f4 L and the 7.-200 f2.8 L II. Quite a lot to carry, but certainly worth it to have such an array of focal lengths at my disposal.

Many more images from this trip can be viewed at my website www.michaelevansphotographer.com under the travel section.