#7. Shibuya

Cycling may be something that I love to do but I’m not really one who goes for a ride without some kind of aim whether it be to a restaurant, a sight or just my workplace. With that in mind, and desperate to get out on my new bike, I decided to cycle round ALL the Inari Shrines in Tokyo taking each of the 23 wards one at a time.

Inspired by recent interest in tiny shrines, this idea seemed like a good way of hunting them down in a slightly more orderly fashion. This really is not so much about the actual Inari Shrines but just getting out on my bike and having a means to an end. Please note that there are many more Inari Shrines (as well as other shrines) than what’s listed below but these were all the ones registered on Google Maps. The times in brackets next to the name of the shrines note the (approximate) time of day I was at each place.

Starting Point: Shibuya Station (15:20)

1. Kitaya Inari Shrine @ 1-4-1 Jinnan (15:28)

2. Oyama Inari Shrine @ 1-7 Shōtō (15:35)

3. Ebisu Yamashita Fushimi Inari Shrine @ 1-22-21 Ebisu (15:34)

4. Toyosaka Inari-jinja Shrine @ 3-4-7 Shibuya (16:04)

Date: Tuesday 2nd June 2020

Weather: Cloudy/Sunny

Area: 15.11 km²

Distance: 7.85 km

Time: 0.40 hrs

Calories Burned: 256

Top: Leicester City 2016-2017 away shirt

Notes: The shortest journey of all 23 wards covered as I began this one in Shibuya and it consisted of just four shrines located reasonably close to my workplace. The first one is rather unconventional once you’ve passed through the giant torii gate and ascended the steps. The middle two shrines were the small type I like and the final one is somewhere I’ve been to before during a break at work. It’s something of a hidden gem on a backstreet not so far from all the crowds.

Fox Rating: 7/10

Nearby Sights: Meiji Shrine, Takeshita-dori, Scramble Crossing, Hachiko Statue, Yoyogi Park, Shibuya Center-Gai, Scramble Square, Hikarie, Miyashita Park, Miyamisu Mitake Shrine

Click on the following links for other posts from the ‘Foxed In The Head’ Series…

#1. Itabashi     #2. Toshima   #3. Kita   #4. Katsushika   #5. Shinagawa   #6. Kōtō

Click here to read ‘TF Top 10……Tokyo Themed Cycling Rides’