Further illustrations of wintery shrines

This inviting little path leads one to a tree-shrine (above). I like to spend time here, gazing at the tree's roots, gnarled and twisted in the earth, and the various objects of worship nestled around them. The tree is always decorated with rope and strung with pieces of folded paper. It makes for one a perfect grotto of solitude and seclusion. In Japan, I enjoy stumbling upon these enduring testaments to nature-worship, whether it be in a glade, between houses on a suburban street or by the roadside as trucks shamble by.