Taikodani Inari Jinja (Taikodani Inari Shrine)

Taikodani Inari Shrine is known as 1 of 5 Japan’s greatest Inari Shrines, alongside the famous one in Kyoto. It is very popular for its 1,000 vermilion Torii gates that create a 300m long tunnel along that snakes its way upside the mountain leading to the shrine. You can get a whole view of the town of Tsuwano from the Shrine, on top of the hill.
What is unique about this shrine is its kanji (Chinese character) for “Inari”. Usually, they use the kanji “稲荷” which means “rich harvest”, but on the other hand, Taikodani Inari Shrine uses the kanji “稲成” which means “granting one’s wish”. There is a story about a man who lost a very important key and visited this shrine to pray to find it. And after 7 days of praying, he found his key. This is why Taikodani Inari Shrine is believed to fulfill our wishes and uses kanji differently from other Inari Shrines.