JR train! Kyoto station to Fushimi Inari train ⛩ How to get to Fushimi Inari Shrine with JR pass and without! ⛩ Japan travel blog

Hi there!

So the Fushimi Inari Shrine hike where you get to see potentially 5,000 torii gates is one of the top things to do in Kyoto.

And getting to Fushimi Inari from Kyoto Station can be pretty easy.

Train stations near Fushimi Inari shrine

There are 2 train stations near the shrine.

When coming from Kyoto Station, the JR train can be the most convenient, whether you’re traveling with or without a JR pass.

The train stations near the Fushimi Inari shrine:

• Inari train station on the JR line (almost directly across the shrine entry)
• Fushimi Inari train station on the Keihan line (about a 5-10 minute walk)

Inari JR train station

Fushimi Inari Keihan train station

Fushimi Inari Shrine as part of a one day Kyoto itinerary

I made a visit to the Fushimi Inari Shrine as part of somewhat of a hiking day:

• Train to Fushimi Inari
• Walked up to the summit of the Fushimi Inari shrine trail
• Train and bus from Fushimi Inari to near Ginkakuji Temple (no temple visit this time – but that was part of the philosopher’s path walk)
• Daimonji-yama hike for city views

More below about how to get to Fushimi Inari Taisha from Kyoto Station!

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Now…

How to know which train line to take to get to Fushimi inari shrine?!

Google maps!

This can be a reliable way to get around Kyoto in general.

So while the JR train can be good coming from Kyoto station, if you’ll be coming from another part of Kyoto, Google maps might send you on the Keihan line, and it’ll still be a pretty convenient train station to get to the shrine.

Likewise, you might end up taking the Keihan line to get to your next destination after your visit to the shrine.

If you want to figure out the best way to get around Kyoto using your JR pass (or to figure out if it’s better to not use it) the Japan Travel Navitime app can be helpful. There’s an option that will let you filter it out to show you the best way to go when using a JR pass.

Now…

JR train at Kyoto station

What is one thing that makes taking the train to the Fushimi Inari shrine easy?!

There is a sign that says “Inari” on it!

So then you are looking to take that train bound for Inari.

You want to take the local train to Inari

You will want to make sure to take the “local” train and not the “express” train.

The express train won’t stop at Inari.

How to know if a train is local or express?!

If you use Google Maps, then it’ll tell you the departure time of the train to take, so that can be your first clue!

But otherwise, you can look at the sign too.

I only got pictures in Japanese, but it switches across to English too.

Here, in the far left column, the green indicates local.

In the far right column will tell you which platform to go to, so be sure to go to the correct one!

Once you have spotted the sign for Inari, take a look at what platform the next train will be arriving at, and then head on over to that platform!

Once you’re at the platform, there will be a sign indicating which train has arrived.

So again, just be sure to get on the “local” train.

These trains to Inari are the same ones that you can take to get to Nara with a JR pass.

It’s not the only option if you’re traveling without a JR pass though – see how to get from Kyoto to Nara with and without a JR pass.

And Nara makes a good day trip from Kyoto too – also see how to spend one day in Nara.

When you’re going to Nara, you can take the express train.

So once the train has arrived…

Get on the train to Inari!

This is a short ride so don’t get too comfortable!

It’ll be a 5-10 minute train ride.

Then…

Get off at the Inari station!

And then from there, you’ll pretty quickly figure out where to go!

Off to the Fushimi Inari Shrine you go!

HAPPY KYOTO STATION TO FUSHIMI INARI TRAIN RIDE!

Traveling around Japan and can't read Japanese? No problem! Just use the camera on the google translate app!

Is a JR pass worth it?!

• Google maps can make it easy to figure out whether or not you should get a JR pass!
• In google maps, type in your departure and arrival city, and choose the transit icon. The route will come up, and so will the estimated cost at the bottom!
• Here is an example of a train route with cost on google maps.
• So do that for all of your long distance routes to figure out how much it might cost.
• Next, go here to see how much a JR pass costs from an official JR pass vendor (and partner of this website).
• And compare!
• Not all forms of public transportation are JR, but long distance shinkansen bullet trains are, and that's where the most cost savings will come.

Best of Kyoto (and Japan!)

• Best temples to visit in Kyoto
• Japanese gardens in Kyoto

👇 Explore the best places to visit in Japan!




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