9 articles

Faith & Ritual

Shrines, temples, customs, and celebrations. Pick a theme and learn the small cultural cues that make everyday life in Japan easier.

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People pray at shrines, marry in churches, and hold funerals at temples — isn't that contradictory?Faith & Ritual What's the difference between a shrine and a temple? They look the same to me.Faith & Ritual What are those red gates standing everywhere — sometimes in the sea or deep in the mountains?Faith & Ritual What's the water basin with ladles at the shrine entrance — am I supposed to drink from it?Faith & Ritual I drew a paper fortune at a shrine — why is everyone tying theirs to trees and racks?Faith & Ritual People are lining up at the shrine office with little notebooks — what are they collecting?Faith & Ritual Why do people write their wishes on wooden plaques and hang them where everyone can read them?Faith & Ritual Millions of people who say they're not religious all visit a shrine in the first days of January — why?Faith & Ritual Why does the whole country travel home in mid-August, and what are those dances in the parks?Faith & Ritual