Example of a washing basin at a Shinto shrine. Visitors to shrines are expected to wash their hands prior to advancing beyond this point. This basin was photographed at the Hawaii Ishizuchi Jinja.
Here are some sites that explain and/or illustrate Shinto symbols, rituals and practices:
A good overview of Shinto by Jeffrey Hays: http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=590
Shinto Ritual in Words and Pictures: http://www.nihonbunka.com/shinto/shime.htm
Shinto (from Wikipedia): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto
“Studies in Shinto” by Yoshimi Umeda, International Shinto Foundation: http://www.internationalshinto.org/isf/studies/role_of_shinto.html
Inari Shrine (from Wikipedia): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inari_shrine
WAKAMIYA INARI SHRINE 