If you visit Kyoto and go to the
spectacular Arashiyama bamboo forest (which I highly recommend), you will find a small and beautiful shrine, unique in its kind: in the old times (until the 14th century), there was a custom for one of the Imperial princesses to be selected as a priestess for the
Ise Shrine, the most sacred Shinto Shrine, where only a relative of the Japanese Imperial family can be a high priest or priestess.
After a period of one year of purification inside the Imperial Palace, the princess was moving to the Nonomiya-jinja, to undergo another year of purification. Only after this long period she was able to go to the Ise Shrine...
Nonomiya Shrine, Arashiyama, Kyoto EXIF info:
Nikon D90
Lens: 18-70mm F/3.5-4.5G
Focal Length: 18mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/50s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 1000