I took a holiday in Japan. Tourists in Japan will surely visit some of their Shrines and Temples.
I was confused. Fortunately I met a lady who spoke to me in English, and I took the opportunity to ask her what is the difference between a Shrine and a Temple. She told me that Shrines are Shinto, Temples are Buddhist. Ohhh!
While visiting the Shrine of Emperor Meiji, I picked up a pamphlet and learnt a lot from it. The pamphlet says:
Meiji Jingu is a Shinto Shrine. Shinto is called Japan's ancient religion, and it is deeply rooted in the way of Japanese life. Shinto has NO FOUNDER, NO HOLY BOOK, AND NOT EVEN THE CONCEPT OF RELIGIOUS CONVERSION, but Shinto values for example harmony with nature and virtues such as "Magokoro (sincere heart)" In Shinto, some divinity is found as Kami (divine spirit), or it may be said that there is an unlimited number of Kami, You can see Kami in mythology, in nature, and in human beings. From ancient times, Japanese people have felt awe and gratitude towards such Kami and dedicated shrines to many of them.
Now I understand Japanese culture a little bit more. No wonder they built a Shrine of Emperor Meiji (1852-1912), the great grandfather of the current Emperor.
Really, there are a lot of Shrines in Japan. When you see a Torii Gate, there is a Shrine. What religious people !!
