#19. Arakawa

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 (10:59)

1. Inari Shrine @ 6-60-1 Minamisenju (11:49)

2. Inari Shrine @ 1-13-21 Minamisenju (13:05)

3. Mikawashima Inari Shrine @ 3-66-5 Arakawa (13:26)

Date: Saturday 9th January 2021

Weather: Cold but sunny

Area: 10.16 km²

Distance: 30.15 km

Time: 2.23 hrs

Calories Burned: 978

Top: Blue Jedi Fox t-shirt

Notes: Just the three Inari shrines are on Google Maps for this ward. The first one was part of the popular Susano Shrine complex and had a giant gingko tree in it but the place didn’t really do anything for me. For those who look at the times closely (anyone?! No??) the reason there was over an hour between the first two places (only 800 metres apart!) was that I went for a Matcha beer at a place down by Tokyo Skytree. The second one was the kind I crave and the third one was pretty impressive too. It even had information in English about the agriculture of the land which was successfully used to cultivate various vegetables and crops in the past! This cycle trip really should’ve been a lot shorter but I lost my bearings a few times on the journey, particularly when returning home.

Fox Rating: 6/10

Nearby Sights: Hippo Park, Arakawa Yuen, Nippori Fabric Town, Minowa, Minowabashi Station.

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     #16. Suginami     #17. Chūō     #18. Ota

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’