The entrances to shrines are marked by torii gates, made of wood and painted orange or black. The gates are actually arches with two uprights and two crossbars, and symbolise the boundary between the secular everyday world and the infinite world of the kami. Because there are no actual gates within the torii arch a shrine is always open.
There is often no wall or fence associated with the gates.The most spectacular torii are at Fushimi-Inari shrine where the 2 ½ mile path behind the shrine is lined with more than 10,000 red torii gates.
More information here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fushimi_Inari-taisha
A 28mm painted Tori or Torii arch from John Jenkins Designs for my 28mm Samurai period, some 28mm Perry miniatures to give an idea of scale and size. The paused image on the TV in the background of the man cave is Dirty Sanchez, still no PSN network!
The Fushimi Inari Shrine.
The Torii Arches that lead up to the shrine.