Worship of Kami Kami can be worshipped or honored in natural settings, shrines or in the home. Pilgrimage to sacred mountinas and waterfalls are popular forms of veneration. The kamidana may be decorated with paper amulets or tokens from major shrines. Inari is associated with the fox. Sacred spaces, including shrines and natural phenomena, are demarcated with a Torii gate that serves as a sort of frame through which to view the shrine, waterfall or mountain.
Time can also be sacred.
The Japanese people observe many annual festivals based upon a blended lunar and solar calendar. For example, the New Year, first full moon following winter solstice, is celebrated by cleaning to enact the renewal of sacred space, shrines and the home. A pine branch is placed at the gate of the home and a rope of rice straw is hung over the entrance. A special temporary altar is set up in the home that may signify the welcoming of the rice kami, Inari who is sometimes represented as a fox and other times as a bearded man. Shrine paper is commonly replaced at this time of year.