Heian Shrine compound, Kyoto, Japan by T. E. Smith-Lamothe

The Heian Shrine compound is found in urban Kyoto, with one of the main four-lane arteries forming a processional route complete with a gigantic red Tori (gate) which spans all four lanes. An outer gatehouse (Oten-mon) is entered first, where there is a pronounced threshold to step over (and keep evil spirits out). The vista then opens out to the hand-held panorama seen here, with symmetrical flanking builidngs and a large central temple (Daigoku-den) building. Red is considered a lucky colour by both the Chinese and Japanese, so red is prominent. This is one of the newer shrines, built in 1895, in 5/8 scale of the original Heian-era (circa 800 AD) which stood at this location.