Renovation Works at Kyoto Fushimi Inari

Visiting Japan's famous temples and shrines, sometimes you can find them undertaking renovation works. In some cases there are massive projects, covering the whole building in scaffolding - the Senso-ji Temple was renovated two years ago, the Nikko Rinno-ji Sanbutsudo and the Himeji Castle are being renovated now... Of course, it's a bit discouraging to find the main attraction covered, especially when you have no possibility to return soon... but I am always impressed by the care with which these treasures are preserved.

Luckily the renovations are often on a much smaller scale, so they are just minor inconveniences... that was the case with my recent visit to the Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine in Kyoto, where the entrance alley was like a construction site, with the noise and all... but I still took some pictures - I always liked these little excavators they use in Japan... so small that they look like toys.

P.S. In the background you can see the Romon Gate, a magnificent gate donated by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1589.