Gateway to Heaven

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In Japanese culture, the Torii (gate) is a symbol that marks the entrance from the mundane to the sacred. Almost every Shinto shrine has this unique structure, clad in vibrant orange, standing guard at or near its entrance. And relatives of this structure are found as far away as India (from where the concept seems to have originated).

The Fushimi Inari-taisha in Kyoto is unique in its long rows of torii gates, known as Senbon torii. There are more than a 1000 torii gates densely packed along the main pathways, attracting casual tourists and devout clerics in equal numbers. I found the long alleyways lined with the vermilion orange a fascinating subject to photograph, though trying to frame a shot without people seemed quite foolhardy! But just the walk around the shrine was rewarding enough.

This was one such attempt of the many trying to capture the essence of the Fushimi Inari Taisha

Kyoto

Japan

Enthralled by Bamboo

Bamboo shoots as tall as skyscrapers, and not just a dozen or two, but a forest of thousands of towering bamboo all arching upwards and forming a canopy of vibrant green fronds that covered the sky. That was the stage at the beautiful Arashiyama Bamboo forest in the outskirts of Kyoto

I felt like a dwarf walking through this forest, enthralled by the hypnotic greenery. And even though I was never far from civilization, the low light and the ephemeral mist made the thicket far more mysterious and eerie. But the crowds thronging the pathway on that late spring day ensured that I would never be far away from people, which made capturing a shot of the greenery quite challenging

This one was a single image shot at F8, ISO 3200 at 1/8s

Arashiyama Bamboo Forest
Kyoto Japan

The path of prayers

Deep in the heart of mystical Kyoto lies the Fushimi Inari shrine, made famous by the thousands of vermilion torii that line the various concrete pathways that snake up the hill. Perhaps they serve as an object of devotion, or perhaps as objects of donations by wealthy patrons. Whatever it may be, walking through the hallowed portals, each one just slightly different from the next, but all in the brilliant vermilion, was quite an experience.

There were some sections so dense with the torii that the world outside barely peeped in, whereas there were others where the soft glint of the warm afternoon sun highlighted the vibrant colors of the torii. Every turn presented a new composition or a new perspective, and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring the different nooks and crannies of this beautiful shinto shrine.

Shot at ISO 3200, F9 at 1/13s (handheld). I had to edit to remove a person from the scene as well.

Fushimi Inari-taisha
Kyoto Japan