Mystic Paths of Kyoto

What’s the Story?

Ditch the tourists and ascend into the mist-shrouded embrace of Mount Inari, where ancient Shinto spirits linger amid whispering bamboo groves and crumbling altars. This workshop reveals the shrine’s secluded soul, offering a meditative journey on a mystic path through the confines of a famous landmark: Fushimi Inari-taisha. Far from the crowded trails, we will explore a world of fox guardians etched in stone, moss-draped paths, and hidden grottos. Here we will discover the visual poetry of nature and Shinto intertwined, where with each frame we will capture the fleeting harmony between the divine and the ephemeral.

What We’ll Shoot

We will focus our attention on the atmosphere of the hidden trails surrounding Fushimi Inari, shooting the interplay of decaying details, rustic textures, and moody light. You’ll learn to see beauty in the natural decay of stone and wood as nature slowly reclaims the various shrines and altars that lay scattered around Mount Inari. We will apply a mindful approach as we search for subtle details such as moss-laden statues and broken torii gates. Our goal will be to capture the essence of wabi-sabi, a Japanese aesthetic concept centered on the appreciation of the impermanent and imperfect.

Where We’ll Explore

Our workshop begins at Fushimi Inari-taisha. We will quietly skirt the bustling Senbon Torii, avoiding throngs of tourists, to follow lesser-known trails up Mount Inari’s verdant slopes. We’ll navigate hidden paths lined with crumbling fox statues and tiny shrines, as we pass weathered torii gates and vast bamboo groves. Deeper into the mountain, we’ll reach Yashima Falls and Aokigataki, tiny sacred waterfalls, their waters streaming from rock walls as though ordained by Shinto spirits. We will eventually summit Mount Inari and once again descend on its far side, passing larger shrines overgrown by moss and adorned by guardian horses and lions, ending our mystic journey at the same place where we set out.