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- Rice paddy / Shrines / torii
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While Japan is home to a great number of famous shrines in well-traveled locations, sometimes it's the sight of a shrine's torii gate in the most random places that can be the most captivating.
Photographer Enupii (@enuenuenubi), who travels Japan snapping fascinating shots of abandoned and unexplored locations, recently shared an eye-catching example of that when photographing in Ibaraki prefecture.
Take a look at their great photo of what's been nicknamed a "solitary shrine."
Source: @enuenuenubi
" Recently I've been enthusiastically taking photos of shrines that pop out of the middle of rice fields, which are called "solitary shrines." Now is the best season for solitary shrines. The blue of the sky is reflected in the water in the rice paddies. The blue sky above and below the rice paddies makes you feel as if you are visiting a small island floating in the sky."
The picture perfectly captures the phenomenon of "solitary shrines" or "shrines out of nowhere", as they are called in Japanese, because they seem to appear on lone islands in the middle of rice fields. This particular one is Atago Shrine in Ibaraki prefecture, but they exist throughout the Japanese countryside and are a popular photography subject, with many comparing them to enchanting scenery found in Studio Ghibli films.
Depending on the region and other factors, rice fields are usually filled with water and rice planting takes place between May and July, so as Enupii says, now is the best time for those looking to find one of their own!