Why does a street in Japan look like a tunnel of red gates?

At Fushimi Inari in Kyoto, the “street” is really a shrine path that climbs into a wooded hillside. What makes it feel like a tunnel is the way the torii gates are placed so close together that daylight gets sliced into thin strips. Step in, and the world turns vermilion, shadow, and footsteps.

Each gate is a donation

Individuals and businesses fund many of the gates, which is why you see names and dates painted on them.

The gates are not random decoration. A torii marks a threshold, a sign that you are passing from the everyday world into a sacred space. At Fushimi Inari, there are thousands of them because people and companies donate gates as a way to say thank you, or to ask for good fortune in work and life. Many gates have the donor’s name and date written on the back, so the tunnel is also a record of hopes, gratitude, and ambition.

The colour is part of the protection idea

The red tone is traditionally linked with warding off harm, so it is not just for beauty.

This shrine is dedicated to Inari, a Shinto deity linked with rice and agriculture, and later with trade and prosperity. That connection explains why so many business names appear on the gates. Along the route, you also notice fox statues. Inari is often associated with fox messengers, so the foxes feel like quiet guardians watching the flow of visitors.

The tunnel effect has a name

The most famous section is often called Senbon Torii, which refers to “a thousand gates” and captures the feeling of endless rows.

The deeper you go, the less it feels like a photo spot and the more it feels like a rhythm. Gate, gate, gate. A small clearing. A stone lantern. A pause. Then the tunnel closes again, and the path keeps climbing.