We were looking at Japan from across the lagoon yesterday—today, let’s get right on top of it.
So often you see this torii from straight on, looking at it and through to Spaceship Earth framed in the distance. But this view, taken up close from the side, focuses instead on the intricacies of the gate itself.
I was in Japan around this time last year, and we took a trip out to Miyajima, where you can find the original Torii at Itsukushima Shrine that inspired this gate in World Showcase. Miyajima was and is a sacred Shinto site, and by passing through this torii it was believed that you made the transition from the mundane world to the sacred one.
So often, seeing the original can belittle a copy, but standing in front of the real thing in Miyajima only made me appreciate the attention to detail that went into this recreation that much more. I love that it has such a prominent place in EPCOT as a whole. You can see it from almost anywhere in World Showcase sitting out on the water.
Taken at 100mm, 1/2500 second to compensate for shooting at f/2.8 in full sun, ISO 100.