Shimane Prefecture draws visitors to Izumo Taisha, a shrine where Shinto deities gather to determine future connections.

Shinto shrines abound in Japan, and most Japanese take part in one or another Shinto ceremony over the course of a year. Although Shinto is not a missionary religion, Shinto now has an international ...

Almost weekly Momo Nomura makes time to visit Shinto shrines. She performs the prescribed rituals — cleansing her hands, ringing a bell, bowing and clapping. But her main purpose is getting a ...

Shimane Prefecture — located in the southwest of Japan’s main island near Hiroshima Prefecture — is an off-the-beaten-path ...

The Shinto Association of Spiritual Leadership was formed in 1969 as an affiliate of the Association of Shinto Shrines, an influential group representing about 80,000 shrines nationwide.

As far as Shinto shrines go (there are about 400 in Kyoto), this one is pretty special. Perched on a wooded hillside in southern Kyoto, Fushimi Inari is a 1,300-year-old temple dedicated to Inari ...

While Spain's headline trail now attracts up to half a million pilgrims a year, its twin is often uncrowded and offers a peaceful route through forests and mountain scenery ...

Shimane Prefecture draws visitors to Izumo Taisha, a shrine where Shinto deities gather to determine future connections.

Shrine parishioners throw icy cold water on themselves during the annual cold-endurance festival at Kanda Myojin Shinto shrine in Tokyo, on Jan. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) TOKYO (AP ...