Japan - a Shinto Shrine in Fukuoka 01

Shinto is the native religion of Japan and Shinto shrines (Japanese: jingu) are the dwelling places of the kami. Kami are gods or spirits that represent objects or concepts like trees, rivers, the sun, rocks, food, and fertility. Humans also become kami after they die, and are revered as ancestors by their surviving family. Important people, like emperors, are revered as kami by many.