As long as there has been Japan there has been Shinto: the "way of the gods." Shintoism is not organized around any central religious text or authority. It is perhaps best described as an amalgam of thousands of local deities (kami) and beliefs observed within a base framework of rituals and customs. Each deity is housed in a shrine called a jingu or jinja.

To get an idea of how old Shinto is, one need only refer to the Katori Jingu in Sawara, Chiba Prefecture, about 30 minutes by train or bus from Narita, which celebrated its 2,600th anniversary in 1958.

Shinto was such a natural part of life in early Japan that it didn't even get a name until the 6th century, in order to distinguish it from the newly arrived Buddhism. With its emphasis on harmony, Shinto has no objections to other faiths. Followers may subscribe to any other faith they choose, and people of other religions are welcomed at the shrines.