One of the major tenets of Shinto is ancestor worship.  The other deals with the reverence of nature as a driving force of creation, renewal, and affirmation of life. While Buddhism is quite popular in Japan, its native religion has not been displaced by this newer faith, and Shinto still has many followers to this very day. This amazing faith is devoid of sacred writings, such as the Koran would be to Muslims or the Bible to Christians, preaching, proselytizing or even a founder.  There is no legend that leads the religion back to a prophet or an enlightened first practitioner who then imparted his or her knowledge on others.  Instead, Shinto is a way of life that is so intertwined with Japanese culture that it is often hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. Gods within this faith are plentiful and the dead themselves become gods, hence the emphasis of ancestor worship.  Shrines are dedicated to the gods, and the faithful will visit them on special occasions and on holidays.

Festivals are too numerous to mention since each shrine has its own festivals to honor the deity it is devoted to. Probably the best known Shinto holiday is the Takayama Festival which is held twice a year, once in spring and once in fall. Another is Sanja Matsuri which is the Shinto holiday devoted to the Kannon Shrine in Asakusa. This festival is held in May and commemorates the goddess of mercy. The best loved Shinto festival is the Sapporo Yukimatsuri, during which the city of Sapporo holds its annual February snow and ice celebration. There are so many more celebrations, large and small, that it is impossible to name them all. A common thread that binds the festivals are the processions that set out from the shrine of a given deity and then snake their way throughout the city, carrying an idol of the god in whose honor the procession is given and respectfully displaying his or her likeness.  Each step is an elaborate show of tradition that has been handed down over the generations, and even the musical instruments that accompany the processions are traditional in built and sound.

As you can see, Shinto is indeed a faith that emphasizes the forces of nature by associating them with distinct personalities that can be pleased or displeased.  Since the religion is devoid of the idea of absolute good or evil, bad events are associated with bad gods which must be kept at bay, while desirous outcomes and good fortune may be associated with good gods, who need to be attracted to a particular family, dwelling or place of business, and who must be kept happy to remain.  For this reason elaborate rituals have sprung up in both the shrines devoted to the numerous spirits that surround the religion, as well as in personal practice. Priests and priestesses seek to protect themselves and their surrounding communities from the anger of gods and spirits, and seek to attract and keep close as many happy, prosperous and beneficial gods and spirits as possible.  At the same time, evil spirits and bad gods are sought to be banished, scared off, and in general kept away. This religion is quite an experience to the Westerner who is not used to such inclusiveness and everyday applications of religious principles and tenets.