553 ~ Chuuou Inari

 

Japanese Name: 中央稲荷
Romanized Reading: Chuuou Inari
English Translation: Central Inari
Size: Tiny Side Shrine of Hanaiji
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 16
First Visit: 16-Jan-2019
Location: Toyokawa
Address: 13-10 Hanaicho, Toyokawa, Aichi 442-0816
Coordinates: 34.81541,137.39183

Near the border of Toyokawa, there stands Hanaiji (花井寺 "Flower Well Temple"), a big Budhist temple that features this tiny little fox shrine sitting in the shade of its bell tower. A total of 16 tiny porcelain foxes reside within.
 

EXTRA: Toyokawa ~ City of Foxes

I've been all around Japan, and I haven't found a single city that celebrates foxes as much as Toyokawa. Let's start with the station, where you're already greeted by so many vulpine figuresall over.

 

Right outside the station, there's a roundabout with an array of statues depicting children dancing with foxes.

And there is more vulpinity all around town.

 

 

Including on the manhole covers.

 

And here's Koko-chan (狐娘ちゃん "Fox Daughter"), one of the city's mascot characters (the other being the Inari-Sushi fox Inarin that you've already seen above quite a lot)

Fancy opening your own fox shrine? They've got everything you need right here! A tiny fox shrine with a pair of life-sized stone foxes costs something around 2000€, if you have it.

That was a bit too pricey for me (and they wouldn't fit into my luggage no matter how hard I tried), so instead I picked key chains of the town's two vulpine mascot characters to bring along.

 

552 ~ Kyuu Okunoin Ato

 

Japanese Name: 旧奥の院跡
Romanized Reading: Kyuu Okunoin Ato
English Translation: Former Inner Hall Remnant
Size: Tiny Side Shrine of Toyokawa Inari
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 19
First Visit: 16-Jan-2019
Location: Toyokawa
Address: 1 Toyokawacho, Toyokawa, Aichi 442-0033
Coordinates: 34.82547,137.39219

The fifth and final vulpine side shrine of Toyokawa Inari. This one features a total of 19 life-sized stone foxes to watch over the tiny shrine. Both of the ones in front of the shrine feature a kit, which I suppose means they're both female, thus bringing the vixen side count to 15:35.
 

551 ~ Osame Fudou (Tiniest Foxes)

 

Japanese Name: 納符堂
Romanized Reading: Osame Fudou
English Translation: Offerings Hall
Size: Small Side Shrine of Toyokawa Inari
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: Many
First Visit: 16-Jan-2019
Location: Toyokawa
Address: 1 Toyokawacho, Toyokawa, Aichi 442-0033
Coordinates: 34.82588,137.39245

The fourth vulpine side shrine of Toyokawa Inari. This one features many small-to-tiny foxes of varying designs, including the tiniest foxes I've ever seen. Sitting between three pairs of already tiny porcelain foxes, there's another pair that is even tinier, and then one more pair that I think might be made from metal, where each of the foxes is only around 2cm tall.

Also, the offering box has foxes painted on it, which is also not something you see very often.
 

550 ~ Toyokawa Inari Side Shrine

 

Japanese Name: ?
Romanized Reading: ?
English Translation: ?
Size: Tiny Side Shrine of Toyokawa Inari
Deity: ?
Fox Count: 4
First Visit: 16-Jan-2019
Location: Toyokawa
Address: 1 Toyokawacho, Toyokawa, Aichi 442-0033
Coordinates: 34.8259,137.3922

The third vulpine side shrine of Toyokawa Inari. Contrasting with all the big and fancy fox shrines, temples and areas here in Toyokawa Inari, this shrine is truly tiny. Sitting atop a flat rock at the bottom of a pillar, it features a pair of tiny porcelain foxes to watch over it, and between them another pair of even tinier porcelain foxes. You'd think that these would be as small as they get, but as a matter of fact, I should yet encounter even smaller foxes than this. This one is definitely one of the tiniest fox shrines I've encountered, though.

549 ~ Okunoin (Trees on approach)

 

Japanese Name: 奥の院
Romanized Reading: Okunoin
English Translation: Inner Shrine
Size: Medium Side Shrine of Toyokawa Inari
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: 10
First Visit: 16-Jan-2019
Location: Toyokawa
Address: 1 Toyokawacho, Toyokawa, Aichi 442-0033
Coordinates: 34.82590,137.39228

The second vulpine side shrine of Toyokawa Inari. The name marks this as the inner hall, so I am counting all the foxes on the path to here as part of this Temple. Which amounts to quite a few. Also, notice how there's a bunch of sacred trees standing right in front of the shrine on the main approach. That's what I call living in harmony with nature.

Here's the foxes on the approach to the Temple:

 

548 ~ Reikodsuka (Highest fox density)

 

Japanese Name: 霊狐塚
Romanized Reading: Reikodsuka
English Translation: Spirit Fox Den
Size: Medium Side Shrine of Toyokawa Inari
Deity: Inari
Fox Count: Uncountable
First Visit: 16-Jan-2019
Location: Toyokawa
Address: 1 Toyokawacho, Toyokawa, Aichi 442-0033
Coordinates: 34.82666,137.39146

The first vulpine side shrine of Toyokawa Inari. Located at the very back of the Toyokawa Inari grounds, there's the one place in Japan with the highest concentration of foxes, beating even anything I've seen at Fushimi Inari Taisha. There, there are countless shrines side by side, each of them featuring foxes. Here, they have just skipped the shrines and filled at least a hectare of ground completely with stone foxes of varying sizes. Here's a close-up of the crowded area.

But that's not all! There's pairs of life-sized stone foxes flanking the entire approach... 

And then, there are also a lot of stone foxes who have more space to themselves in front of the crowded area. And there's also stone carvings of more foxes on several pedestals!

All this adds up to "If you like visiting fox shrines, then you have GOT to come here!" I will promise a fox-gasm!