Three little torii on a “no peeing” sign

The sign on the green fence in this photo from Shirokane, Tokyo, reads 立小便厳禁: “strictly no peeing.” Under those words are three tiny red torii. Sometimes there are no words at all. A wall near Shioiri Station in Yokosuka once had a painted torii; a later sign there spelled out the warning in Japanese and English. At one convenience store in Hiroshima, little gates went up to keep people from leaving trash in the parking lot, too. Take the words away and you might go looking for a shrine.