When I asked a few of my Japanese friends if they even knew what Shintoism was, they all agreed that they had never heard of it before. That is how fundamental Japanese people see Shinto shrines. It isn’t a religion, but a way to decide to live one's life as part of the community. Temples refer to Hinduist sites, though you don’t have to practice Hinduism to enter or offer a prayer. While Hinduism came from the outside, Japan chose to incorporate its ideas and beliefs into its culture. Temples function as a place for sacred objects to be stored as well as a monastery for monks or nuns.
These temples and shrines are visited every day by locals and tourists to both pray and see the scenery and architecture. Visitation to shrines and temples are most notable during holidays such as New Year's Eve and New Year's morning, Christmas and during exam season. In Shinto belief, there is a god for everything, from cows and oceans to exams and good fortune. Because of this, Japanese people will visit a shrine on New Year's Eve to ring a bell and offer a final prayer of the year. The next morning, on New Year's Day, they will complete Hatsumode, or the first visit to a shrine in the new year. It’s popular to buy an omamori, or good luck charm, and get a fortune that will predict your year’s luck during this time.
Students will even go to shrines and temples before large exams like the dreaded university entrance exams to pray for good luck. Unlike in America, you have to pass an exam to enter a university. Every university has its own exam, so if you want to apply to multiple universities, there will be multiple exams. These are some of the most stressful exams in student’s lives and determine whether they get into a good university or not.
