Chapter1 Basic knowledge of visiting Shinto shrines/第1章 神社参拝の基礎知識
The precinct of a typical Shinto shrine/神社境内図
What are Shinto shrines?/神社とは何ですか?
What differences are there between Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples?/神社と寺の違いは何ですか?
What was a Shinto shrine like at the beginning?/神社は当初どのようなものだったのですか?
Torii/鳥居
Approach (sand?)/参道
Ablution station (temizuya)/手水舎
Koma-inu/狛犬
Main building (honden)/本殿
Worship building (haiden) and Shimenawa/拝殿・注連縄
Shin-mon/神門
Shrine stand (juyosho)/授与所
Printed oracle (omikuji) and Ema/おみくじ・絵馬
Sake (rice wine) casks/酒樽
Small auxiliary shrines/摂社・末社
Maiden/舞殿
Okumiya/奥宮
Why are there many trees or a forest in and around a Shinto shrine?/なぜ神社には多くの木や森があるのですか?
Why do worshippers put small money into an offertory box when they visit a Shinto shrine?/参拝の際に、なぜ賽銭箱に小銭をいれるのですか?
Why do worshippers clap their hands at Shinto shrines?/なぜ神社では拝礼のときに拍手をするのですか?
The correct way of worship when one visits a Shinto shrine/神社に参拝する際の正しい作法
How to wash your hands and mouth./手水(temizu)の作法
How to worship at the worship building./拝殿での拝礼の仕方
Chapter2 Shinto shrines in Japan/第2章 日本の神社
Ise Jingu/伊勢神宮
The differences between “jinja”, “jingu”, and “taisha”/「神社」、「神宮」、「大社」の違い
Representative Shinto shrines in Japan/日本の主な神社
Shikinen seng?/式年遷宮
Why are there many vermilion toriis at Inari shrines?/稲荷神社にはなぜ朱色の鳥居がたくさんあるのですか?
Shinto shrines on the tops of mountains/山の上にある神社
Why are there many Shinto shrines around Mount Fuji listed as a World Heritage?/世界遺産である富士山周辺にはなぜ多くの神社があるのですか?
Shinto shrines overseas/海外の神社
Shinto priests (shinshoku)/神職
Chapter3 Shinto and Japanese life/第3章 神道と日本人の生活
What implications do Shinto shrines have for the daily life of the Japanese people?/神社は日本人の日常生活とどのような関わりをもっていますか?
Household Shinto altar (kami-dana)/神棚
Shinto festivals (matsuri)/
What are the important elements related to a solemn ritual which is the core of a festival?/祭りの中心となる厳粛な儀式に関係する重要な要素は何ですか?
Representative festivals in Japan/日本の主な祭り
The three greatest festivals in Tokyo or Kyoto/東京の三大祭・京都の三大祭
Mikoshi (shin-yo) and Dashi/神輿・山車
The first visit of a child to a Shinto shrine/初宮参り
Festivals for children of three, five and seven years of age (shichi-go-san)/七五三
Rituals for protection from misfortune/厄除祭
Shinto wedding ceremony/神前結婚式
Visit to shrines and temples at the beginning of the year/初詣
Seasonal Division Festival (Setsubun-sai)/節分祭
Great Purification Ceremony (?harae-shiki) and the summer purification (nagoshi-no-harae)/大祓式・夏越の祓
Ground-purification rite (jichin-sai)/地鎮祭
Chapter4 Basic knowledge of Shinto/第4章 神道の基礎知識
What are the major religions in Japan?/日本の主な宗教は何ですか?
What is Shinto?/神道とは何ですか?
When did Shinto originate?/神道はいつ始まったのですか?
What are the Japanese kami like?/日本の神様とはどのようなものですか?
How are Shinto shrines classified by faiths?/神社は信仰によってどのように分類されますか?
What are the Japanese mythology like?/日本の神話とはどのようなものですか?
Why is Amaterasu-?mikami the ancestral kami of the Emperor?/天照大神は、なぜ天皇の祖先神なのですか?
Does Shinto have holy scriptures and doctrines?/神道には教典や教義がありますか?
The worship of ancestors in Shinto/神道における祖先崇拝
The relationship between Shinto and Buddhism/日本における神道と仏教の関係
The important differences between Shinto and Christianity, Islam and Judaism/神道とキリスト教・イスラム教・ユダヤ教との重要な違い
The difference in the way of thinking as regards nature/自然に対する考え方の違い
The common aspects of Shinto and other major religions/神道と他の主要な宗教の共通点
The religious characteristics of the Japanese people/日本人の宗教的な特徴
Erotic Shinto festivals/エロチックな祭り
Shinto is a true religion./神道は真の宗教です。
Map: Representative Shinto shrines in Japan/地図 日本の主な神社