Spirited Away
Spirited Away tells the story of ten year old Chihiro who gets trapped in a spirit world after her parents are transformed into animals. In an attempt to liberate herself from the spirit world, she takes a job at a bathhouse from the evil witch Yubaba who cursed her parents.
Hokora
Haku
Hokora are miniature Shinto shrines designed to house Kami. Before entering the spirit world Chihiro and her father stumble upon the cluster of hokora. In the film all of these shrines are clustered together which is not typically the case as they usually stand alone. Chihiro becomes uneasy at the site of this large number of shrines because the large amount of hokora signify that there is an extensive amount of spiritual activity.
The Bathhouse
The bathhouse is the setting for the majority of the movie . The Shinto belief states that every natural and living element of nature has the potential to be contaminated. This is revealed in the film because of this location. The bathhouse acts as a place for spirits and Kami to visit and become unpolluted.
Haku is the spirit of the river that helps Chihiro escape the spirit world. He is able to shape shift into a dragon which confirms that he is a Kami.
The Stink God
While working at the bathhouse, Chihiro encounters the 'Stink God'. The stink god turns out to be the spirit of a polluted river.
No Face
After encountering the 'spirit god' Chihiro meets no face, a masked creature who is uncommunicative with everyone. He enters the bathhouse and, after being cleaned, starts eating the workers. He continues to demand "food" and starts tipping everyone in order to receive it. No face represents the spirit of greed and is a maleficent example of Kami.