Photos

A shinto shrine in Takayama. I like the colours in this and the lines.

Shinto shrines, are the places where Japan's indigenous folk deities, called kami, are enshrined. Shinto has no canon of dogma, no "scriptures" and no founder. Its origin is unknown, although it has been transmitted as an everyday custom through daily life and a variety of annual observances and rites of passage in the lives of every Japanese. For the Japanese people, Shinto shrines are both restful places filled with a sense of the sacred, and the source of their spiritual vitality. Individuals participate in shrine festivals as members of the local community from infancy to old age; thus, shrines are sometimes called the "spiritual home" of the Japanese. 　 For the Japanese, shrines are sacred space. Since a Shinto shrine is a religious facility reflecting and embodying the faith of many people, please respect the religious traditions of others when you visit. 　 When visiting a Shinto shrine, Japanese people usually rinse their hands and mouths in symbolic purification of their entire selves, in preparation for approaching the sacred presence. First the left and then the right hand is rinsed with water at the purification font, then the mouth is rinsed with water from the left hand. Proceeding to the hall of worship, visitors place an offering of a few coins into the offering box, then stand quietly and with a collected mind, ring the bell, bow deeply twice with hands together, clap twice, and bow once again.

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Tech, cropped and a little saturation