501 ~ Araki Jinja Cluster

 

Japanese Name: 荒木神社
Romanized Reading: Araki Jinja
English Translation: Wild Tree Shrine
Cluster Size: Medium
Deity: Inari
First Visit: 25-Dec-2018
Location: Fushimi Inari, Fukakusa Kaidoguchicho
Address: 12-3 Fukakusa Kaidoguchicho, Fushimi Ward, Kyoto, 612-0805
Coordinates: 34.9695,135.7759

This is another of those clusters that falls in the "like, really, really many" category of foxes. Mostly to blame for that is one of its side shrines, namely Kuchire Inari Jinja (口入稲荷大神 "Intermediary Inari Shrine"), which is also known as the matchmaking shrine. There, you can get yourself a set of three fox statues depicting a bride, a groom, and an intermediary, and hope they help you find a match.

Do they really work? Meh, not really. I bought a set on my second visit in 2023 and still didn't find a girlfriend. They're nice to look at, however.

Also, this is the 2000th shrine/temple that I visited in all of Japan. Which officially makes one quarter of them fox shrines (or more rarely also temples).