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Japan, where Shintoism was created, was secluded on its own archipelago with very little outside human contact. This caused them to not be exposed to other belief systems until after they had created their own. Japan has also gone through many periods of control in its history and so enforcing a belief system would be different depending on whether Japan was fractured into clans or under rule by one person.

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Both those who believe in Shintoism and those who believe in Buddhism don’t necessarily worry too much about the afterlife as they do being a good person and being pure while on Earth. Those who believe in Shintoism believe in spiritual forces known as Kami while those who believe in Buddhism don’t necessarily have many spiritual beliefs as they are working to venture on their quest to reach enlightenment and be a good person.

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Those who believed in Shintoism believed in Kami; sacred spirits that take the form of important concepts of life (ex. wind, rain, mountains, trees, etc.). When someone dies, they turn into an Ancestral Kami. Doing something bad is considered being possessed by an evil Kami so purification rituals are held.

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What were the conditions in the civilization? What were the civilization’s achievements? What was the geographical location of the civilization like? What were its political system and social structure like?

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What was believed by those who followed this religion? What was the same or similar in a civilization's belief system to another civilization’s belief system?

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What was believed by those who followed this religion? What belief system was there? What supernatural beings or forces were believed in?

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In Shintoism, based on the Lunar Calendar, different days of the month were considered Sacred Days. These Sacred Days corresponded with different phases of the moon. Different Sacred Days include the New Moon on the 1st of a month, a Half Moon (1st Quarter), on the 7th or 8th of a month, the Full Moon on the 15th of a month, and the Half Moon (3rd Quarter) on the 22nd or 23rd of a month. The Lunar Calendar, however, has been outdated with the semi-recently adopted Gregorian Calendar in 1873.

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There are many rituals that are done in Shintoism and for many different reasons.The following is the order in which different events of a typical ritual occur in:

1. Purification (takes place before the main ceremony)

2. Adoration (bowing to the altar)

3. Opening of the sanctuary

4. Presentation of food offerings (meat cannot be used as an offering)

5. Prayers (the form of prayers dates from the 10th century CE)

6. Music and dance

7. Offerings (these are symbolic and consist of twigs of a sacred tree bearing of white paper)

8. Removal of offerings

9. Closing the sanctuary

10. Final adoration

11. Sermon (this step is optional)

12. Ceremonial meal (this is often reduced to ceremonial sake drinking)

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In Shintoism, Festivals are a major part of the religion. These festivals are the holidays in Shintoism. Major festivals are called 'matsuris,' a word meaning to give thanks to or to praise a deity at a shrine. Many of these festivals occur annually. Some matsuris include the Spring Festival, the Autumn or Harvest Festival, the Annual Festival (a festival that happens annually on a date that will vary depending on the shrine), and the Divine Procession.

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Shinto Shrines are a place of worship for followers of Shintoism. In the past, however, Shinto ceremonies were performed in the mountains, woods, and riverbanks where it was thought that evil Kami and demons were thought to dwell.

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The Gods and Goddesses that those who follow Shintoism believe in are known as Kami. These Kami represent the important concepts of life such as the rain, the wind, or trees. One of the major Kami or Goddesses of Shintoism is Amaterasu. Amaterasu is the Goddess of the sun and fertility. It is also believed that when someone passes away, they turn into a type of Kami called Ancestral Kami.

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Shintoism began in Japan and since its creation, it hasn't traveled outside of Japan. Today, Shintoism is really only followed and believed by those in Japan who choose to follow it.

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Shintoism began as the belief system used in Japan. This belief system was later named Shintoism when another religion (Buddhism) was introduced to the Japanese people in the 6th century.