ABSTRACT
It is generally said that Shinto is a religion based on ceremonial rites and festivals, most of which center on the rice crop. Among them, the Toshi-gohi no matsuri — the Grain-petitioning Festival — held in February, and the Nihi-name no matsuri — the New Grain Banquet Festival — in November are the most important. Japanese people are not confronted by their kami, their ancestors, or their parents, but respect and coexist with them through a Shinto lifestyle. Coexistence might be possible in a polytheistic society, but a monotheistic religion never recognizes other gods as objects of faith, only its own, so that it is not easy to coexist even ideally. Japanese people have conceived since ancient times that every natural element has its own holy spirit, and it is thus a god in itself. The countryside in Japan is dotted with many jinja where various kami are enshrined.
