Inari (village) Inari (village) Inari is a population centre in the municipality of Inari in Finland. The village grew up along in a spot where the fast-flowing Juutua River empties into Lake Inari. As the centuries went by, the village developed into a robust and active market and trade centre. When the municipality of Inari was founded in 1876, the village became its centre. The people living in Inari then were not, however, the first people to live in the village, as people had been living on the shores of Lake Inari for thousands of years before that. Several stone-age dwellings have
Inari shrine appease and please these "kitsune" messengers, who are then expected to plead with Inari on the worshipper's behalf. Inari-zushi, a Japanese sushi roll of rice-packed fried tofu, is another popular offering. Fried tofu is believed to be a favorite food of Japanese foxes, and an Inari-zushi roll has pointed corners that resemble fox ears, thus reinforcing the association. Priests do not normally offer these foods to the deity, but it is common for shops that line the approach to an Inari shrine to sell fried tofu for devotees to offer. Fox statues are often offered to Inari shrines by worshippers,