Sometimes you have to wake up at early to catch on location at the right time. This is especially true for the Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto.
The location is perhaps best known for one of the iconic scenes in “Memoirs of a Geisha”. The path is lined with 1000 Tori gates. They are visually stunning in the early morning light. However, once the clock ticks past 9:30am, tourists descend upon the shrine. The path becomes crowded with tourists walking shoulder to shoulder, belly to back in what essentially becomes a tube. I was here at 5:45am, and it was completely worth it. If you’re planning on visiting Kyoto, I definitely recommend waking up early to visit the shrine.
