Fushimi Inari Taisha Shrine

You know, I read somewhere once that Japan is home to hundreds of thousands of shrines, both large and small, and after all the time I've spent here, I can sure believe it! You can't fly five feet out of the nest without bumping into a shrine, and most of them have roots going back hundreds of years, if not a thousand or more. 

This is a shot of a few of thīe famous "ten-thousand torii gates" of Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. You know, this place: 

At first I thought it might be disrespectful to get a picture at the shrine, what with me being a rubber chicken and all, but then I saw a kid getting his picture taken with a giant Doraemon plushie, so I figured the spirit of Inari would probably forgive me. 

Fushimi Inari is one of the largest and most ancient Shinto shrines in the entire country. Turns out, the arches are paid for by individuals and businesses from all over the world, as a form of promotion and to hopefully gain the good influence of the spirit that resides at the shrine. I have to say, it was a little strange to find out that the ten-thousand torii gates were kind of like a really impressive commercial.