Defining images of Japan, Shinto shrine

Shinto is the indigenous faith of the Japanese people, a religion without founders and sacred texts. Actually, Shinto is more than a religion, it is way of thinking, living and doing things that defines the Japanese people since several thousand years ago.

The Shinto shrines are often very beautiful buildings, and their enchanting structures and gates are ubiquitous in Japan. Counting only the shrines with priests, there are more than 80,000, but if we take into account the small roadside shrines, the number will probably grow with an order of magnitude.