So, you like foxes and Japnese culture, and maybe that's why you're considering visiting Japan someday. But you have no idea where to start. Well, you've come to the right place! Because in this bonus chapter, I'm going to tell you about all the best places to visit in Japan if you're into foxes, and even make a suggestion for a realistic travel route that covers most of them.
↑ to topThe Foxiest Places of Japan
Japan is literally full of foxes. You can find places where there aren't any, but you have to travel to remote islands like Okinawa or Sado for that. Anywhere else, you're pretty much guaranteed to run into fox shrines if you know where to look. And knowing where to look is easy: Just look for red Torii. There is a solid chance that a Shrine with a red Torii is an Inari Shrine, and most of those feature foxes. And if it's not just one but a series of red Torii, that's almost certainly a homage to Fushimi Inari Taisha, which makes it pretty guaranteed to have foxes.
That having been said, there are still places that feature significantly more vulpinity. Dragon, some of them even have live foxes that you can interact with! So, without futher ado, let me go over them from south to north.
↑ to topKyoto
The old capital of Japan is not only a treasure trove of culture, but it is also filled to the brim with fox shrines. Just look at this map!
I found that many fox shrines in just seven days' worth of strays in Kyoto. Doubtless the rest of the city houses hundreds more. And at the heart of it sits Fushimi Inari Taisha, the heart of Inari worship in Japan, which I've already covered in detail here.
And if you need a break from foxes for a while, no problem! You've got both Nara - the city of deer - and Oosaka within an hour's train ride, making this the ideal starting point for a fox-centric journey of Japan.
↑ to topToyokawa
Technically, Toyokawa is actually a little bit south of Kyoto, but since it's next in line along the "south to north" route, it still makes sense to call it second here. The reason why you should stop in Toyokawa if you like foxes becomes apparent right at the station, where you get welcomed by foxes.
You step out of the station, and there's these statues of foxes dancing with children.
And then you continue and find yourself walking down a fox-themed shopping street.
Shortly thereafter, you'll arrive at the main feature of this town: Toyokawa Inari.
This is a Buddhist Temple, but it is still associated with the Shinto Deity Inari, and thus there are countless foxes to be found within.
However, you can do all of that within a day, and apart from that, there's not much of interest around here. So unless you fancy a stay in a more rural part of Japan, I'd suggest staying in the nearby city of Nagoya, and making a day trip out here. It's only an hour away by train.
↑ to topTokyo
The modern capital of Japan is home to at least three golden fox shrines. First, there's Anamori Inar Jinja, which is located close to the Haneda Airport.
Then, there's Takozousu Inari, the smallest of the Golden Fox Shrines, which features a grove of tiny fox side shrines in the back.
And finally, we have Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betusin, which is like Toyokawa Inari, only with less space and in Tokyo (similar amount of foxes though).
And if you still want more foxes after that, don't worry! There's fox shrines literally all over the map. Maybe not as dense as in Kyoto, but you'll still have a hard time walking anywhere without getting close to a fox shrine at some point.
Zao Kitsune Mura
From fox shrines to real foxes, this is the first place in Japan where you are guaranteed to encounter real, semi-tame floofballs. You can walk around the enclosure with hundreds of foxes darting around you. This is, without a doubt, the foxiest place on earth.
Apart from that, there's not much to see around here, so this is more day trip material. The problem is that even by Shinkansen, it's over an hour away, and then you still need to get there from the station. Fortunately, there's a bus running, but with only two bus trips per day, you need to watch your schedule.
↑ to topKitami Kitakitsune Bokujou
The northernmost fox place of Japan. This one is smaller than Zao Kitsune Mura, and way more relaxed. The foxes here don't have to compete for food, so they are much more laid-back. If I was a fox, this was where I'd like to live.
And in addition to foxes, there's also several Tanukis in the enclosure, living side-by-side with them. These chubby little critters are absolutely adorable!
The bad news is... getting there as part of any reasonable travel route is borderline impossible! Not only is it all the way up in Hokkaido, but it is also right in the centre and I only managed to get there with a rented car. You can get there by public transport, but it will take you at least five hours from Sapporo. Also, there's not much else in the area, so unless you want to experience what really remote rural Japan feels like, you're out of luck.
↑ to topRecommended Fox Travel Route
So, with all those places on the map, let's come up with a travel route. The good news is that we can build a realistic route to hit all of these, except for Kitami Kitakitsune Bokujou up in Hokkaido. You should only consider that last one if you're already visiting Hokkaido anyway, and ideally renting a car.
Now, all things considered, you'll want to plan at least 6 full days in Japan for this trip, though more would be ideal. Every extra day will equal another full day in Kyoto, Nagoya or Tokyo at your disposal, and there's just so much to see and do in either of those two cities that you can easily spend a full vacation in each.
First, here's the short version:
- Arrive at Kansai International Airport (KIX)
- Get to Kyoto by shuttle bus or train
- Visit Fushimi Inari Taisha
- Optional: Day Trip to Nara, city of deer
- Get to Nagoya by train
- Day trip to Toyokawa Inari
- Get to Tokyo by Shinkansen
- Three Golden Fox Shrines Tour
- Zao Kitsune Mura Day Trio
- Depart from Haneda Airport (HND)
And now in more detail:
↑ to topArrival
Book a flight that arrives at Kansai International Airport (KIX). That one is located in Oosaka bay. From there, you can get to Kyoto by shuttle bus or train in less than two hours. Make sure your flight doesn't arrive too late, however, because trains don't run after midnight in Japan, which might leave you stranded at the airport.
Kyoto Fushimi Inari
First off, try to stay in a traditional Ryokan that includes food delivered to your room. That's a unique experience that will not regret.
Now, unless your Ryokan is right next to Fushimi Inari, you'll need to take the train in order to get to Fushimi Inari. For that, I recommend getting an IC card. These cards serve as rechargable tickets, and are old from vending machines at all major stations. With those, you can easily use all local trains in Japan simply by tagging in at the ticket gates and then tagging out again when you get off. Each region has it's own IC card, and Kyoto, it's the blue ICOCA.
Once you have your ICOCA, you have two options: You can either take the JR Nara Line to the Inari station, which is directly outside the main approach of Fushimi Inari Taisha, or you can take the Keihan Main Line of the subway (which actually only runs underground on part of its length) to the Fushimi Inari station, which 300m further away.
There's easily enough vulpinity in that area to keep you busy for a whole day, and there's also plenty of places where you can get something to eat around. If you want to add some Buddhism to the mix, you can also walk to Toufukuji, a temple complex that is located about a kilometer north of Fushimi Inari Taisha. And if you want to visit the Imperial Palace, you can take the Keihan Main Line north to Jingu-Marutamachi and then walk east for 500m to the imperial gardens.
If you stay in Kyoto for several days, I can also really recommend making a trip to nearby Nara, the city of deer. There, deer have been considered sacred animals for hundreds of years, and as such freely roam the streets and parks.
If you want to get there from Kyoto, you can either take the aforementioned JR Nara Line, or the Kintetsu Nara Line, which starts underground. Either way, you'll be in Nara in less than an hour. The Kintetsu Nara Line is slightly faster and its station is more central in Nara, but the JR Nara Line is cheaper, so it's your call.
Kyoto to Nagoya
Depending on your time and budget, you have two options:
- Tokaido Shinkansen
- Duration: ~35min
- Cost: ~6000¥
- Local Trains
- Tokaido-Sanyo Line until Maibara
- Tokaido Line until Nagoya
- Duration: ~2h
- Cost: ~2640¥
Personally, if you're not in a hurry and want to see some of the Japanese landscape along the way, I'd suggest the local trains. The Shinkansen focuses on covering distance, and cuts straight across the landscape, which usually means lots of tunnels. Also, it has really small windows, more akin to a plain. The local trains are slower, but you also get a much better view of your surroundings.
Note: If you're only staying in Nagoya for a day, you might as well also stay directly in Toyokawa or nearby Toyohashi, since they are located directly along the train line to Tokyo. No point in going back to Nagoya if you're only going to spend the night there.
↑ to topToyokawa Inari Day Trip
Getting from Nagoya to Toyokawa is easy: You board the Meitetsu-Nagoya Line, ride it for about an hour, and then you're there at the foxy station.
And that's it! Enjoy your day in foxy Toyokawa! The temple complex is closer to the station than it is big. The only advice I want to give you is to zig-zag into the foxy shopping street, which runs one road parallel to the north from the big road in front of the station.
Nagoya to Tokyo
Unless you're feeling particularly adventurous, you'll want to take the Shinkansen for this segment. It runs from Nagoya nonstop to Tokyo in about two hours. The views might not be so good, but even if you take the Limited Express trains (Japan's equivalent of inter-city trains), it'll still take you about 6 hours with two transfers, and with regional we're talking of about 7 hours and three transfers. By contrast, the Shinkansen covers the whole distance in only 1.5 hours.
Take note that you need a special ticket to travel with the Shinkansen, and unless they changed it since I was there the last time, you may get up to three paper slips: First a fare ticket for the distance, then a surcharge ticket for taking the Shinkansen, and then a seat reservation ticket. Just drop them all in at the ticket gate. And when in doubt, ask a station attendant. They're always happy to help paying customers.
Oh, and make sure to look out of the windows to the left just after the Shin-Fuji station, because that's when the train passes within 25km of the famous Mt. Fuji.
Tokyo Shrine Tour
Try to get a stay place near Haneda airport. Not only will that be convenient for your departure, but it will also put you right next to the first of the three golden fox shrines: Anamori Inari. Now, if you're staying in Tokyo for multiple days, you don't have to hit all of those in a single day. But in case you do, here's how to about it:
First, get to Anamori Inari by taking the Keikyu Airport Line to the station of the same name and then walking a bit.
Once you're done there, take the Keikyu Airport Line to Shimbashi, then transfer to the Ginza Line and take that to the Asakasa-Mitsuke Station.
From there, it's only a short walk up the road to get to Toyokawa Inari Tokyo Betsuin.
Take the Nanboku Line from Nagatacho to Korakuen. Nagatacho is connected by underground walkways to the Akasaka-Mitsuke station, so just go there and follow the signs.
From there, the way to Takozousu Inari is a bit tricky. The easiest way is taking the main road north until you pass a road to your left that is painted red and has a pedestrians sign (16-18) next to it, and then follow that until you climb a little hill and then come first across a temple, and then the shrine. If you feel a bit adventurous, you can also take the quieter parallel backroad one block to the west.
Zao Kitsune Mura Day Trip
This one requires the most fine tuning, since you need to coordinate the train departure times with the few buses running to and fro Zao Kitsune Mura. So here's a complete, compact trip plan:
7:50: Take the Tohoku Shinkansen from Tokyo Ueno Station, arriving at Shiroishizao Station at 9:50.
10:15: Take the bus for Zao Kitsune Mura from Shiroishizao Station, arriving at Zao Kitsune Mura at 10:49. You can use your IC card to pay, one way is 1000¥. If you miss that bus, the next one doesn't depart until 13:05, so enjoy Shiroishi until then, and have some lunch.
Once at the Zao Kitsune Mura, you have two bus options to return: The early one at 12:10, and the late one at 15:00. Depending on which of those you take, you'll be back at the Miyagizao Station by 12:46 or 15:36 respectively.
And then, you can take the Tohoku Shinkansen back to Tokyo. The Tohoku Shinkansen runs until late at night, with the last train departing Shiroishi at 21:00, so if you want you can still go sightseeing in Shiroishi after your visit to Zao Kitsune Mura. One option would be getting off the bus at the Jokahiroba stop and then visiting the Shiroishi castle. After that, you can take a leisurely walk through Shiroishi to the Shiroishizao station, which should take about half an hour. Just make sure not to confuse it with the closer Shiroishi station, which is only for regular trains. The Shiroishizao station is on the other side of the Sai river, and can be easily identified by the elevated tracks on which the Shinkansen runs.
Departure
Book your return flight to depart from Tokyo Haneda Airport (HND) during the day, and get a window seat. Which side is a gamble because the starting direction depends on the prevalent weather conditions. If it's clear and you're facing the right way, you may get a great aerial view of Tokyo and/or Mr. Fuji on the way out. Haneda Airport has three terminals, by the way. The one that the international flights depart from is Terminal 3. You can get there with the Keikyu Airport Line, or the Tokyo Monorail.
Oh, and if you can't arrange for a daytime takeoff, a nighttime takeoff can look pretty as well. Seeing the lights of the city stretch all the way to the horizon really drives home just how huge the Radiant Metropolis really is.
And that's it! I hope that this will help you have a foxy good time in Japan, if you ever decide to make the trip! Greet all the foxes from me!
No comments:
Post a Comment