Wikijunior:World Religions/Shintoism

How many people follow Shintoism?
Many people in Japan participate in Shinto rituals, but many of those people also participate in some other religion, and if you ask people in Japan about their religion, many will say they don't have one. About 4–5 million people actually belong to a Shinto sect, mainly in Japan. About 70–80% of the Japanese population participate in Shintoism, which is about 90–100 million Shintoists in Japan.

Where is Shintoism practiced?
Japan. Shintoism is also practised in countries with large numbers of ethnic Japanese.

What are some main holidays and practices of Shintoism?

 * Setsubun. February 2nd-3rd. The first day of spring by the ancient lunar calendar.
 * Hina Matsuri. March 3rd.
 * Birth of Buddha. 8th April.
 * Childrens (boys) festival. 5th May.
 * Tanabata Matsuri. 7th July.
 * Bon or o-bon. Middle of the seventh lunar month, 13th-15th July.
 * Shichi-go-san. 15th November.
 * New Year's Eve. 31st December.