Feb. 07, 2018 UPDATE
The shrines and temples of Kyoto and their traditional Japanese sweets!
Part 1
Fushimi Inari Shrine and the fox cookies
Fushimi Inari Shrine seems to always top the list for the sightseeing spot tourists want to go to the most, and that’s because of their rows of vermilion torii gates. The torii gates of the shrine were even featured in the film Memoirs of a Geisha. You can also see fox statues all around the shrine and even the ema votive wooden plaques here are shaped like foxes. The souvenir shops around the shrine sell fox cookies, but what do these cookies have to do with the shrine? We’re going to find out!
We all know the vermilion torii gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine. You could spend hours here taking photos. But did you know that Fushimi Inari enshrines the god of rice, Inari, and that you can pray for a good crop and success for your business at the shrine?
At the shrine, you can also see many fox statues, but if you look at them carefully, you can see that they all have different things in their mouths. It is said that foxes are messengers who take the wishes of men to the god Inari.
Mice eat rice, and foxes eat the mice. Some people say that this is the reason for the fox cookies, which were originally offerings for gods. In this way the fox cookies also became a popular souvenir to buy from your visit to Fushimi Inari Shrine. The fox cookies contain white miso, sesame, and sugar, among other ingredients, so the taste is simple but somehow also nostalgic.
You can also get some bell-shaped fortune cookies, and try your luck. These fortune cookies are a nice thing to buy after your Fushimi Inari Shrine visit, as they not only taste good, but you also get to know your fortune too. (The fortunes are in Japanese so keep Google Translate ready.) The fortune cookies are made from the same dough as the fox cookies so the taste is the same.
The fox cookies that started out as offerings to gods are now souvenirs. They are not only cute, but they also have a nice, a little bit salty, fragrance, which is a part of their popularity. A picture with the fox cookies covering your face is sure to receive many likes on Instagram and Facebook! Next, more sweets and shrines!
Read Other Parts
- Part 1Fushimi Inari Shrine and the fox cookies
- Part 2Shimogamo Shrine and mitarashi dango
- Part 3Kitano Tenmangu Shrine & Awamochi and Chogoromochi
- Part 4Imamiya Shrine and aburimochi
