Defining images of Japan, Torii gates

From many points of view, Japan is a unique place and offers tourists many unique experiences. Some of these experiences, like sounds or music, cannot be represented by a simple image, but for the others I will start today a series of "Defining images of Japan"... I hope you'll like it!

The first and the most frequently used image of Japan is probably the torii, the specific Japanese gates used by the Shinto shrines. Their role is to the separate the sacred area from the profane space and, since Shinto is a religion present only in Japan, these gates cannot be found anywhere else. Here is one of the most beautiful torii in Japan, the world famous "floating" gate of the Itsukushima Shrine, on the Miyajima Island, Hiroshima.