Cultural Tips-Shintoism

Shintoism is the indigenous religion of Japan, and literally means "the way of gods and deities." It combines the worship of nature with the worship of ancestors and heroes.

In Shintoism, there are myriads of deities, which are believed to reside within all things in nature.

These deities are worshipped at over 80,000 shrines. You may be surprised to know that the number exceeds that of convenience stores across Japan of which there are 55,000.

Shintoism is unique in that it is tolerant towards other religions. It is common for believers to respect other religions, as well as their practices and objects of worship. The major reason why is that Shintoism has no founder, doctrine or scripture.

As a result of commercialism and the tolerance of Shintoism, you can see many Christmas decorations on the streets and in shops and restaurants in Japan this season.