There are four main islands of Japan. The largest of the four is Honshu also known as the mainland. Next in size is Hokkaido which is followed by Kyushu and finally Shikoku.
My favorite two places in Japan is Mt. Fuji, otherwise known as Fuji san and The Golden Pavilion otherwise known as Kinkaku-ji.
The flag of Japan is a simple white rectangle with a perfect red cirlce in the center. It is known as the Rising Sun.
Hokkaido is the home of the Winter Ice Festivals. Amazing sculptures are made completely of ice. People come from all around the world just to get a glimps of these beautiful pieces of art!
A torii is a traditional Japanese gate commonly found at the entry to a Shinto shrine, although it can be found at Buddhist temples as well. It has two upright supports and two crossbars on the top, and is frequently painted vermilion. Some torii have tablets with writing mounted between the crossbars. Traditionally, torii are made of wood or stone. In recent times, makers have started to use steel and even stainless steel. Torii mark the transition from the sacred (the shrine) to the profane (the normal world).
Inari shrines typically have many torii. A person who has been successful in business often donates a torii in gratitude. The Fushimi Inari shrine in Kyoto has thousands of such torii.
The origin of the word "torii" is not known. One theory is that it was designed for birds to rest, as hinted by the kanji (tori: bird; i: place). This is because in Shintoism, birds are considered messengers of the gods. A second theory is that it is derived from the term tori-iru (pass through and enter).