Japanese Religion and Folklore:
A Unique Blend of Japan's Past
The two main Japanese religions are Shinto, Japan's native religion, and Buddhism, which was imported from China and Korea. Over the years both Buddhism and Shinto had traded places as the national religion depending on the current political control. When WWII ended and Shinto ceased to be the Japanese national religion, Buddhism and Shinto kind of melted together to become the common belief system of today. Both have a huge effect on modern customs and culture.
Unlike the western world where most people are a part of only one religion, Japanese have no problem mashing them both together, and even adding a third sometimes. As strange as it sounds, it's not unlikely for people to have a Christian style wedding, go to view flowers at a Shinto shrine during the Hanami season. and then to honor the dead during the Buddhist Obon festival, all in the same year.
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