Yen-ny For Your Thoughts?

Creative Documentation

This photo was taken during our day at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto, home of the famous thousand torii gates and what felt like never-ending stairs. It was one of the hottest and most humid days of our trip. I was sweaty, sticky, and a little cranky because of it. Even so, I was excited to explore Fushimi Inari. I was mentally prepared for the hike to the top, but after all the walking we'd already done throughout Japan, I wasn’t sure if I was physically prepared to.

The girls (sans Caitlin) started on the main torii path. It was a little crowded, but not nearly as bad as I expected for such a popular tourist spot. Still, as someone who walks way too fast, it felt pretty congested. Pretty early on, we came across a rough-looking side path and figured, "Why not?" After walking through some questionable terrain in a skirt and shoes that definitely weren't made for hiking, a couple of other foreigners informed us that this was actually the "scenic" route to the top and we still had about forty minutes left. So, there I was, sweating buckets in a skirt, with shoes collecting more mud by the minute, hiking through a bamboo forest in the middle of Kyoto. What a time to be alive.

After trekking through what felt like endless bamboo paths, we came across a group of shrines that almost looked like they had grown right out of the mountain. Small pathways wound between moss-covered stone monuments, little torii gates, and beautifully carved kitsune statues. Everything felt so carefully placed, but at the same time as if it had always belonged there. Everyone else headed toward the larger shrine, but I noticed a tiny path to the right. I wandered down it and found this little place to pray.

This was my first time seeing one of these hanging bell ropes in person. I'd seen them a million times in anime but somehow hadn't come across one yet on our trip. For some reason, this one just felt more official. Maybe it was because I was completely by myself. There wasn't anyone behind me waiting for their turn or watching to see if I was doing it right. I could just take my time and really be in the moment.

So I did exactly what Saiki K's dad taught me. I tossed in my yen, rang the bell, bowed twice, said my prayer, and clapped twice.

As goofy as it sounds to say an anime reminded me how to pray at a shrine, that moment stuck with me more than I expected. This was the first time it actually felt like I was connecting spiritually instead of just participating in something because everyone else was. I walked in feeling sweaty, tired, and kind of annoyed, but I walked away feeling completely calm. It felt like my prayer was actually being heard.

Before I left, I made sure to take this picture because I didn't want to forget that feeling. Now when I look at it, I don't just see a shrine. I remember how quiet it was, hearing the bell echo through the trees, and finally feeling like I could slow down for a minute. The rest of the hike suddenly didn't seem so bad. Every shrine we came across after that made me excited to stop, pray, and take in the moment.

I've never really considered myself religious, but this experience showed me that spirituality doesn't always have to look the way I thought it did growing up. There was something so peaceful about being able to quietly reflect without feeling judged or pressured. Out of all the photos I took in Japan, this is the one that means the most to me. It reminds me that sometimes the best moments aren't the ones everyone else is taking pictures of—they're the quiet ones you almost walk right past.