At Shinto shrines throughout Japan, you will often see lengths of rope known as shimenawa. These ‘enclosing ropes’ indicate places where the gods reside and also areas that should be kept pure in case any passing gods decide to drop by. Locals will often make shimenawa ropes out of hemp or rice straw from the year’s harvest, which they’ll donate to their local shrines or temples as an offering. Some believe that the shimenawa rope represents clouds, while the dangling rice straw (shime no ke) represents rain, and those suspended paper zigzags (shide) represent lightning. Farmers may have offered these tributes to the gods because collectively they evoke the three elements necessary to ensure a good harvest: clouds, bringing rain, with lightning strikes that enrich the soil with nitrogen oxides.