kitsune – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

A Visit to Zao Fox Village (Fukushima, Japan)

Susan Spann Blog August 3, 2018foxes, Fukushima, Japan, kitsune, village, Zao Fox Village

In between climbing mountains for the #100Summits project, I’m also visiting sites of cultural and historical significance across Japan. Yesterday, my husband and I hopped a shinkansen (bullet train) to Fukushima Prefecture–a little less than 250 kilometers–to visit one of Japan’s most unusual sanctuary/zoos: Zao Fox Village. As the name suggests, the park is a combination zoo and sanctuary for foxes (known as “kitsune” in Japan). Among Japan’s most honored creatures, kitsune are considered messengers of Inari Okami, one of the most important deities in the Shintō pantheon.

The Cats of Fushimi Inari

Susan Spann Blog April 20, 2017November 8, 2017cats, foxes, Fushimi inari, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Japan, kitsune, photography

Like many Japanese shrines and temples, Fushimi Inari Taisha, south of Kyoto, has its share of resident cats. Although not numerous, the cats appear to be permanent residents of the shrine, and though some, like this little fellow: seem to live on the mountain itself. That said, unlike most feral cats, the residents of Fushimi Inari seemed eager for human attention. The handsome tuxedo in the photo above followed me along the path, meowing insistently, until I stopped to pet him. A group of visitors gathered behind me, pointing at the cat, and as soon as I left him they moved in