Thursday Snapshot: Tiny Orchids at Fushimi Inari Shrine

Little orchids on the trail at Fushimi Inari in Nara.

It was while hiking at the Fushimi Inari Shrine in Nara that I spotted these little lovelies last October. Set in a pot outside a quiet little tea shop alongside the trail their leopard spots proved irresistible. A maze of trails runs up the hillside through the cemetery behind the shrine, and when we are there we always give them a wander. It is a beautiful and peaceful place that I can't recommend enough. Plus, there's a fantastic eel restaurant just near the bottom. Perfect.