The “Secret” Bamboo Trail at Fushimi Inari Taisha: A Tourist-Free Adventure
Looking to experience Fushimi Inari Taisha in a unique way without having to deal with hordes of tourists? Want to explore a bamboo trail that is kept a secret by tour groups? Hoping to get the perfect torii gate photo without others in the background? If you said yes to any of these questions, then you need to take the less-traveled path and explore Fushimi Inari Taisha’s “secret” bamboo grove trail!
Visiting Fushimi Inari Taisha
Thousands of traditional torii gates wind up Mount Inari at one of Kyoto’s most iconic tourist destinations. Fushimi Inari Taisha was founded in 711 and is often deemed a must-see landmark when exploring Kyoto. Upon seeing the area myself, it was easy to understand why tourists are so drawn to the seemingly endless torii gates and charming messenger fox statues that stand to greet you at altars and gateways within the shrine grounds.
In recent years, overtourism has been an issue within Kyoto, and you certainly experience that when visiting the shrine as you try to navigate through the crowd of people. The shrine itself sits at the bottom of the mountain, so you don’t have to embark on the hour-long hike up the mountain unless you’re super keen on it. Still, most tourists are there to see the vermilion torii gates and will hike partially up the mountain, often stopping at the first sub shrine.
Exploring the “Secret” Bamboo Trail
While called the “secret” bamboo trail, the trail itself is not exactly a secret as there is actually a trail marker showing that points you in the direction of it. If you are alone, just be careful and make sure someone else knows where you are as my friends and I found ourselves alone on the trail for almost the entire time. If you are worried about getting lost, don’t worry as the trail is clearly established and eventually connects to the main trail closer to the top of the mountain. The trail is also not very difficult, but be warned there is one particularly steep section of stairs near the top that left all my friends and me sweating and gasping for breath. We were also reminded about our lack of fitness as we watched an elderly couple ascend the stairs with seemingly no problems.
The trail to the bamboo grove starts shortly after Okusha Shrine, the first sub shrine on the trail, and is marked by an unremarkable wooden sign that points you in the opposite direction of the torii gates and towards a dirt path that slopes upwards through the forest to Kandakara Shrine. The sign is on the right hand side of the main trail and is easy to overlook, so if you find yourself walking more than 100 metres past the sub shrine, you’ll want to turn back. Once you are on the corrrect path, you should take less than five minutes to reach Kandakara Shrine and will be greeted by the two dragon statues at its entrance. Take some time to explore this shrine and then you can continue towards the right where you should see the start of the bamboo grove.
The trail passes through a bamboo forest and also takes you past the homes of some locals before you encounter a number of small shrines that are a well-kept secret. There won’t be a ton of torii gates at first, but this hike allows you to see Mount Inari from a unique perspective that most tourists don’t get to experience. Keep following the signs that point you towards the top of Mt. Inari and be mindful not to wander into anyone’s backyard. There should also be a rundown washroom at some point during the hike located near a hidden waterfall and unmanned tourist welcome area.
The main appeal of taking this trail over the main trail is the breathtaking nature that makes you feel as though you’re off on your own adventure. There are certainly less torii gates on the way up, but you will see plenty of torii gates when you descend back down the mountain as the end of the hike just connects to the main trail. The area where the secret trail connects back to the main trail was actually one of my favourite spots to take photos, and if you’re keen to get that perfect photo then the top of the mountain is the place to be as there are tons of opportunities to take photos without anyone else in the frame.
The final bonus to this trail was discovered halfway up the mountain: a solitary vending machine with normal prices. Honestly, vending machines are everywhere in Japan, but I was honestly shocked to see one while we were exploring this quiet trail. Situated near some homes this vending machine offers drinks at normal prices and even had a good selection to choose from. If you were to take the main trail, the vending machines stationed at each checkpoint will have inflated prices (up to 100 yen above typical prices) that only go up the higher you climb the mountain. It felt good knowing that we found the most affordable option on the mountain even if we were saving less than a dollar per drink.
