Fushimi Inari Shrine is a lot more than just miles of paths lined with vermilion torii gates. Situated on Mount Inari 「Inari-yama, 稲荷山」 this UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyoto contains many sub-shrines, cemeteries, a lookout and a scenic pond. There are even small shops along the way, where you can buy the tiny torii offerings and pickup an emergency mid-shrine beer…
Offerings at a cemetery on Mount Inari
Offerings at a grave in a cemetery at Fushimi Inari Taishi, Kyoto
Black and white experiment
Black and white photo of a grave at Fushimi Inari Shrine
I don’t do a lot of black and white photo processing. I enjoy the high impact and dynamic range of HDR photography (check out my Japan HDR photos). But with this shot I felt the colour was a little too distracting. The tiny vermilion torii offerings left on this grave stone are very vibrant in real life, and look almost too vibrant in the colour photo above. The black and white version is a more timeless and even, and makes it easier to absorb in the entire scene…
[well]What do you think, should I do more black and white photos? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.[/well]
Fushimi Inari Taishi Kyoto Travel Guide
This photo was originally published in the Fushimi Inari Shrine Travel Guide. See Kyoto: Fushimi Inari Shrine and the 5,000 Vermilion Gates for more information and many more photos.
Nice photo,I think b/w and colour seem equally good in this case
These shrines were one of my favorite places to visit in Kyoto, although I didn’t get to the top (didn’t know how long it would take and weather was heavy rain)
Thanks for your feedback! I thought the same, both photos looked nice so I posted both. To walk all the tracks at the shrine takes a long time, don’t think I would have last long in heavy rain either!