When I stepped off the bullet train and my feet hit the Kyoto ground, I felt the divinity in the air. A magical and spiritual land. A peaceful stillness greeted me. It was almost as if I had been there before in another life. From the authentic matcha green tea that Yoko’s aunt had ready for us after our 2.5 hour journey from Tokyo to the bamboo Forrest and romantic Geisha row and of course the Inari shrines, Kyoto captured me with its Japanese awe and wonder.

There are said to be 30,000 shrines spread throughout Japan and I was fortunate to visit the Fushimi Inari Taisha, the head shrine from which all other shrines are affiliated. Built in 711 AD, this shrine is where people travel from across the globe to pray for bountiful harvests, business prosperity, the safety of their home and family and the fulfillment of a myriad of dreams they want realized.

An iconic landmark in Japan and an important cultural property, Fushima Inari Taisha consists of 5 shrines collectively: a lower shrine, a middle shrine, an upper shrine and auxiliary shrines Tanaka Shrine and Shino-Okami. The five pillars represent virtue of Inari Okami that they embody.

A place of peace and spiritual resilience, this shrine promotes the harmonious coexistence of the deities, human beings and nature that it represents.

Kyoto, the original capital of Japan, is a spiritual land that I plan to return to and allow its magic and serenity to engulf me.

💜Love & Light☀️,
CRISTEN M. MILLS