#16. Suginami

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: Tokyo Fox Global Operations Centre, Itabashi-ku (09:50)

1. Inari Shrine @ 4-7-20 Zenpukuji (10.46)

2. Inari Shrine @ 2-42 Honamanuma (11.05)

3. Hon-amanuma Inari Shrine @ 2-14-10 Honamanuma (11.08)

4. Inari Shrine @ 1-11 Kamitakaido (11.34)

5. Inari Shrine @ 1-1 Kamitakaido (11.40)

6. Inari Shrine @ 4-28 Shimotakaido (11.49)

7. Inari Shrine @ 1-5 Matsunoki (12.06)

8. Inari Shrine @ 4-46 Izumi (12.17)

9. Inari Shrine @ 1-34-10 Wada (12.27)

10. Inari Shrine @ 3-47 Horinouchi (12.38)

11. Inari Shrine @ 1-2-6 Koenjikita (12.50)

12. Mabashi Inari Shrine @ 2-4-4 Asagayaminami (13.03)

Date: Sunday 18th October 2020

Weather: Cloudy and overcast

Area: 34.06 km²

Distance: 51.25 km

Time: 3.56 hrs

Calories Burned: 1564

Top: Leicester City blue home 2016-2017 shirt

Fox Rating: 3/10

Notes: The majority of these nameless shrines were the small kind that I like and the first one was barely visible from the street as it was so covered in bushes. The shrines were all spaced out quite nicely but they were rather lacking in fox statues. This cycle ride finished at Mabashi Inari Shrine which is one of only three shrines in Tokyo to have dragons on the torii gates.

Nearby Sights: Zemukuji Park, Ootaguro Park, Star Case (the Star Wars Shop), Asagaya Jinmeigu (the Babymetal shrine), Rissho Kosei-kai Headquarters, Suginami Animation Museum.

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   #7. Shibuya     #8. Nerima     #9. Meguro     #10. Bunkyo     #11. Sumida     #12. Nakano     #13. Edogawa     #14. Taito    #15. Chiyoda

Click here to read `TF Top 10……Smallest Inari Shrines In Tokyo (Part 1)

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