The two main religions that I've encountered in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism. Both are major religions, with shinto as the state religion. I’ve been to a lot of shrines and have found that a lot of the basic rituals at both places are similar.
In Shinto, there is the idea that the gods will help out with your everyday life in return for offerings and prayers. There are many different gods and they are all in charge of different things. I recently went to Fushimi Inari, which is a prominent pilgrimage location for worshippers of Inari - the god of Rice. The shrine is now prominently associated with luck in business, but people go there for a variety of different reasons.
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| There are thousands of Tori Gates at Fushimi Inari, which invite Gods in |
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| All the Tori Gates form a tunnel that leads to the top of the mountain and back down |
When I was in Hiroshima, I saw a shinto ceremony taking place at a shrine where a man was getting his car blessed - this costs some money and is supposed to protect you from accidents and ensure safe journey. You can sometimes get money knocked off your car insurance if it's been blessed.
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| A car undergoing a Shinto blessing |
In Tokyo, I saw the Asakusa Kannon Temple, which was very large and full of people worshipping for a variety different reasons. There is water to purify your hands and mouth (which is similar to a shinto ritual) and a market place that lines the way towards the temple.
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| Cleansing Incense |
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| Purifying Water |
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| Prayers |
Religion is Japan is fascinating and you seem to have been to many temples and shrines to explore the subject(s) and take good pictures. I might like to see more of a specific focus rather than a general overview.
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