Entry through a gate
Lanterns mark the border
Guardians flank the inner gate
Ritual washing of hands and mouth
Hiit the gong. Toss a coin. Bow twice, clap twice, bow once more.
Leave a prayer tied to a string
The center of the shrine is empty. I learned that there is always a mirror -usually hidden - to reflect back both nature and an image of ourselves.
My favorite shrine - Fushimi Inari-taisha has thousands of gates leading up a mountain - Christo must have thought of these when he did the Central Park Gates
Pagodas 
