There are two main religions in Japan: Shinto and Buddhism. There is also Christianity and various sects.
Shinto is the most ancient religion, translated as "the way of the gods." In Shinto, kami are worshiped - supernatural beings such as the spirits of rain, rivers, mountains, the spirits of the dead, the forces within people and nature (kami of reproduction and growth). Kami in Japan are countless. Each village has its own kami. People treat them on an equal basis with themselves. There are even myths about marriage between humans and kami. Death is seen as a kind of transition from life to kami. The child is the embodiment of the kami, the ancestor. Therefore, children in Japan are highly respected.
Kami are divided into: good spirits - Fuku-no-kami, and evil spirits - magatsu-kami. The main task of a Shintoist is to establish peace with evil spirits, and to summon more good spirits. In Japan, in all temples and chapels, parishioners and priests pray for support and offer sacrifices. This is done so that the good spirit does not become angry and bad. For Shintoists, everything that happens in the world is explained not by fate, but by the individual will of the kami.
Haiden of Izumo Taisha Temple
Their temples consist of a room (honden) and a prayer hall (haiden). In honden, there is an item that corresponds to a specific kami. Also, the temple has a special U-shaped gate, which is a symbol of the border between the world of kami and people. This gate is considered to be an important part of the temple. Also on legendary historical sites there are small sanctuaries, and large ancient trees have places of worship. The kami live there.
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As the imperial system developed, the idea of the goddess Amaterasu, the supreme kami, appeared. Then legends and myths about Amaterasu arose. For a long time they were considered the beginning of Japanese history.
Buddhism - the teaching of the Mahayana ("Great Chariot") is at the core, which is opposed to the teaching of the Hinayana ("Small Vehicle"). Southern Buddhism is opposed to Northern Buddhism. The Mahayana teachings say that human salvation comes with the help of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Different Buddhist schools have different views on which Buddhas and Bodhisattvas can best help a person. This is where the division between schools comes from. So, for example, one school of Jodo ("Pure Land") worships Buddha Amide (Amitabha), who rules over the heavenly lands. The Nichiren sect worship the Buddha himself and the Lotus Sutra. The followers of the Mikkyo school can fly, fight demons and perform miracles. Priests live in the mountains like hermits. They wear large rosaries and a staff with rings. In Zen school they teach to meditate on parables - koans,which leads to awareness of the universe and enlightenment. Or they believe that insight can come instantly, which happens due to an unexpected event, such as being hit by a stick.
The cultures of Japan are all interconnected and intersect. Buddhism and Shinto overlapped especially closely. It often happened that both Buddhas and Kami were worshiped in one temple.
Throughout their lives, people in Japan worship a variety of religions. They can have a wedding according to Christian rites, and bury according to Buddhist rites. This is not difficult. The goal of all their creeds is to get rid of the complications of life.