Hi All,
I wanted to make a post here about my solo experience walking up Mount Inari at Midnight – I reached the top at 12:04AM. It was an experience to say the least.
Let’s get stuck into the story. For some context, 2023 has been a very successful but also a difficult year for me personally. And this is something that I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I made an attempt to do this years ago in 2017, but after a minute of walking in, I chickened out.
**Storytime :)**
**Part 1**
As I ride the train, I’m nervous, scared, and excited, all at the same time. It’s late (11pm). Upon getting off the train, to my surprise, I am the only one walking in this direction, everyone else is heading in the opposite direction. And so the journey begins.
Walking through the streets, it’s dark and quiet. At this hour, there is basically no one around and all of the shops are closed. As I approach the main entrance I feel confident. But once I step onto the grounds, I begin getting more and more nervous. It is dead quiet, there is a slight howling sound, it’s cold, it’s dark, the leaves are rustling. It is both scary and beautiful at the same time. Nevertheless, I take it in. You feel like you have the place all to yourself.
I hear some footsteps and I turn to see a traveller leaving the grounds. I hear a tapping sound and it’s one of the guards in the booths closing the door. I see signs of life. I convince myself that the traveller just returned from the peak and the guards regularly patrol up and down the mountain throughout the night (I don’t think they actually do that). I wash my hands at the basin and ask for strength.
I move quickly towards the first of the series of Torii gates and I stop and stare at them. I’m genuinely scared to enter. I am doing it solo after all and I have no idea if anyone else is up there. I pause. I decide to walk around a bit more to calm my nerves. There is no one else on the grounds apart from the two guards who seem like they want to sleep. For some reason, I’m gravitated towards the White Horse Statue. I stare into its eyes for what feels like minutes, and I feel like it is staring into my soul. The horse feels kind of real … I divert my gaze and walk up the steps again. I try with all my might but for some reason, I convince myself that today isn’t the day. I start walking back down the steps to leave the grounds. As I walk back down, I look over my shoulder and one of the fox statues is staring directly at me. I stare back. I feel some level of shame that I’m leaving. I sigh and continue to head back down.
However to my surprise, two Japanese guys who are very young are now walking up towards the steps talking loudly. I’ve been circling the grounds for ten minutes on my own. I continue walking down and decide that if they can do it, I can do it as well.
**Part 2**
I turn around and hastily enter the first series of Torii gates. They’re taking photos. I ask if they speak English and if they are going to the top. They say yes. I feel more at ease knowing that I’m not the only one going up at this hour.
I begin the trek, I walk slowly to take in the sounds and speed up as I go. You hear everything – animal sounds, rustling leaves, the wind. You see everything – the shadows, the light, the darkness, the statues. It is eerie. But it is beautiful. You feel at one with the forest and with the shrine. This is what the pilgrimage should be. No tourists, no selfies for instagram. I can’t hear the two guys anymore, they are probably still at the entrance taking photos.
I push ahead and reach the first fork in the path quickly. The path is well lit for now. You feel safe. There are signs that show the way to the top and the main entrance. At night, this actually feels like a test, and less so a set directions. I turn towards the direction that leads me to the top. And here I am met with a lot of rustling in the bushes up ahead. It is a section where there are no Torii gates to act as a barrier between me and what is making the sound. I walk slowly to see if it dies down as I get closer. It gets louder. I turn back to the fork in the road. My heart begins to race. I pause for a few seconds and walk back in the same direction. The rustling gets louder. I am annoyed and disappointed at the same time. I calm myself down for a minute, and then the sounds of the two guys talking becomes audible. It’s like as if they’re coming to my rescue haha. I wait for them to reach me and I continue with them up the mountain.
They walk with me for a 2-3 minutes and a few cats begin to appear. The cats walk ahead of us up the steps like as if they are guiding us and joining us up the mountain. The two guys stop to take photos and pet the cats. I reach to pet one of the cats and it runs away from me. I’m a bit disappointed as I’m usually good with cats and dogs. I continue forward alone as I feel like our journeys up the mountain are different but I am grateful for them being there. This is the last time I see these two guys again and any cats. I am probably only one-third of the way in at this point.
**Part 3**
There is no turning back at this point. I focus and tell myself I am going to the top. I continue forward and I’m greeted with the view of Kyoto at night. It is beautiful. I stop to take it in. It feels like a reward. I turn and head up the mountain. As I pass through the gates, I am no longer scared.
I hear rustling sounds in the bushes – I realise I myself am making sounds as well. There are dark patches, I walk through knowing that there is light ahead. The shadows of the statues appear, I walk knowing that me giving shapes to the shadows are just mind games. The climb gets steeper, I control my breathing and pace myself accordingly. I feel energised and I don’t look back once. If there are spirits in the mountain, I feel they are helping me to the top. They are clearing the pathway for me mentally. This part of the journey really did feel enlightening. It felt easy. It was an experience. It is a long walk but it is engaging all the way – your senses are heightened and it feels spiritual.
I look at my watch and I realise that its getting close to midnight and I will reach the top soon. I continue forward and there is a section that is completely dark with no visible light ahead. It is actually close to pitch black. I forge ahead into the darkness and after a few steps the automatic lights turn on. I think to myself, was this another test?
As I reach the top, I breathe a sigh of relief. It’s 12:04AM. I’ve overcome the mental challenge. I’m the only one at the top and possibly even the top half of the mountain. I stop to take some photos but I don’t hang around for long. I don’t want to take this experience for granted. I’ve been given the clarity and the resolve that I need to end my 2023 with a bang.
As I head back down, I pass a young couple making their way up the mountain. I smile, I hope they experience something as well.
**Some overall thoughts**
The experience at night is unmatched. During the day, it’s basically a photo-taking tourist attraction. At night, it feels like a pilgrimage. You feel like there is a purpose for you to go up there.
As a sidebar, Japanese folklore states that foxes are known to be shapeshifters – in human or animal form. If I think in this way, I genuinely feel like the two guys at the shrine with me where sent there to help me by the Inari foxes/messengers. They only appeared when I was in need – once at the beginning, and another at the loud rustling. I did not pass them, hear them, or see them after that. Also, the cat that did not allow me to stop and pet it, gave me a sign to keep moving and they distracted the two guys for long enough, for me to part ways with them.
This experience has given me the mental clarity I needed to progress into 2024. I hope my longwinded story gives you some courage to take on the mountain at night as well.
Arigato!
by cupofbrave