Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its 10,000 scarlet red torii gates, has a long approach running up a mountain in the south of Kyoto. People have given prayers and made offerings of these torii gates to the god of Fushimi Inari for more than 1300 years. There is a beautiful contrast outside and inside the torii between the green sacred forest and the beautiful red approach.

On a summer day, I walked up and through the long approach under the arch of the 10,000 torii. In the daytime, the torii created a comfortable shade, while in the morning and the late afternoon they flashed a new color - a brilliant orange reflecting in the sunshine.