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shinto (Page 4)

The only path to this Nagasaki Shinto shrine gets swallowed by the sea every day【Video】

A popular destination for those looking for love or trying to start a family, but you’ll want to check the tide schedule before you visit.

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Japanese shrine maidens in Osaka spotted wearing unusual costumes during winter

One shinto shrine is making news around Japan for dressing their miko in a garment many had never seen before.

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Shinto ceremony that involves feeding a carp alcohol criticized as “animal abuse”

 

The debate continues over whether plying a carp with booze is inhumane treatment of animals or a treasured part of Japan’s cultural heritage.

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Japanese shrine maiden roomwear officially on sale, looks divinely cute, heavenly comfortable

Cozy Shinto-style fashion for relaxing at home.

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“Cat shrine” status causing problems for Japan’s millennium-old Izumoiwai Shrine

Priests struggling to humanely keep cat population under control, asking for visitors’ help.

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We visit Japan’s “cave of death,” said to end the life of those who dream of it

Will this be Mr. Sato’s last adventure?

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Japanese futon for your wallet lets it rest, claims to impart Shinto blessings

Luxury and divine assistance, all in one tiny, traditional package.

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Step into a magical spirit world at the Motomiya Festival at Fushimi Inari Shrine in Kyoto

The Kyoto shrine famous for thousands of vermilion torii gates will spirit you away to a mystical world of beauty this weekend at its famous annual night-time festival.
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Cute cat finds way to make humans bow down and worship him at Japanese shrine

The furry new deity, however, forgot about a couple of small yet important details.

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Japanese “Exorcism Holiday Plan” for dogs helps rid them of bad spirits in their unlucky years

Have your pet feeling rejuvenated both physically and spiritually after a getaway in Japan.

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This beautiful, traditional Japanese building is actually a fully modern convenience store

Convenience stores in Japan are often like mini supermarkets, but this one near one of Shinto’s holiest shrines also feels like a time machine.

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Simple craft project lets you tell your cat, in no uncertain terms, that he exists on a higher plane than you do.

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Nara Prefecture’s “god horses” caught acting in a decidedly ungodly manner…【Pics】

“Quick guys! The gods aren’t looking! Let’s roll around in the dirt!”

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Japanese Buddhism in 10 minutes【Rocketpedia】

Today we’re introducing you to the basics of Japanese Buddhism, plus highlighting some of the Buddhist images you’ll see in Japan and help you distinguish them from Shinto ones.

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Any proper itinerary for a trip across Japan should include stops in its three most famous Shinto shrines: Hiroshima’s Itsukushima Shrine, Kyoto’s Heian Shrine, and the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. Those, however, are just the tip of Japan’s iceberg of breathtaking sacred Shinto spots.

Even if you’ve got no pressing interest in Japan’s indigenous religion, its shrines are often sites of breathtaking natural and architectural beauty, and here are four that, while off the beaten path, are not to be missed.

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Foxy kitsune socks will have you looking Shinto-chic

Much like “humdinger” and “roughneck,” “foxy” is one of those words that’s far past its golden age. But really, why shouldn’t it be used to describe an attractively fashionable woman, especially is she’s sporting a pair of these cute knee-high socks decorated with Shinto-style kitsune fox spirits and other culturally quirky touches?

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Part of the family – Tokyo Shinto shrine’s blessings for children now available for pets too

Every fall, parents in Japan who have children that are three, five, or seven years old celebrate something called Shichi-Go-San (literally “Seven-Five-Three”). The family heads to a Shinto shrine, where the priest performs a blessing for girls aged three and seven and boys aged five, praying for them to have long and healthy lives.

But since some pet owners will argue that their animal companions are their children, certain shrines now offer Shichi-Go-San blessings for pets, too, some of whom show up wearing delightful pet kimono!

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The most crowded place in Tokyo? Might be the Kanda Matsuri festival, but it’s still awesome

Even in a city as packed with people as Tokyo, some places, and times, are more crowded than others. So when and where can you find the largest, densest mass of humanity? Some would say the Yamanote loop line during the morning rush hour. Others would vote for Shibuya’s scramble crosswalk intersection on a Saturday night.

But before you go awarding the crown to either of those two candidates, take a look at the massive crowds that came out for the Kanda Matsuri festival last weekend.

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When entering the grounds of a Shinto shrine in Japan, it’s customary to first stop by the water basin near the gate and rinse your hands, and sometimes your mouth, in order to cleanse them. Water isn’t the only classical element held to have purifying properties in Shintoism, though, since the same can be said about fire.

Obviously, worshippers aren’t called upon to put fire on their palms or inside their mouths. Instead, Shinto priests light pyres of charms and decorations during the Dondo Yaki ceremony, with the towering blazes regularly reaching 15 meters (49.2 feet) into the air.

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Japan’s top 3 rock “power spots”

The Japanese have long had a fascination with rocks. In fact, rock worship is an integral part of Shinto, Japan’s original religion. Iwakura (sacred rocks) can be found all over Japan. Rocks can be found in any Japanese garden, whether as stepping stones or objects of admiration themselves in dry landscape gardens or Zen rock gardens. One thing is for sure: Rocks are an integral part of the Japanese psyche.

So it’s no wonder that sacred rocks are popular among the Japanese as power spots. By harnessing the energy of these rocks, the Japanese are rediscovering their roots and the power of nature. But before we tell you about the three top rock power spots in Japan, we investigate how these monoliths and boulders gained their rock star status. Our rockin’ reporter uncovers the history and folklore of iwakura in Japan and gives suggestions on how to access the power of these rocks!

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