Do you have to be Japanese to be a follower of the Shinto religion?

I have no Japanese whatsoever in my blood and ancestry, but Shinto really interests me, so I was wondering if it was possible to not have to be Japanese in order to be one. Or, suggestions for similar/equivalent religions would be helpful too. Thank you!

If I recall correctly Shinto is big on ancestor worship and also has ancient Gods and Goddesses. It may be a holdover from neolithic or earlier human culture, which is why it might appeal to you. A lot of people though want something exotic which may be a bigger reason.

I don't know whether or not any Japanese would help you follow Shinto though. It might be too much a personal racial national thing for them. I had a native American teacher once who complained about new age wannabes trying to become like native Americans. He recommended that such people explore their own spiritual roots, Celtic or such for people from western Europe for example.

Also, it might not technically be possible to truly follow Shinto unless one is Japanese. I don't know, but for example one can't really be a Hindu unless one lives in India because Hinduism is not just a religion but is a whole culture. It is always good to learn more about other cultures though to broaden ones perspective, and if your heart leads you towards Shinto I would say Go for it.

Alice, short answer, no.

However, ask yourself what it is *about Shinto* that interests you. I had similar feelings at one point. Shinto's respect, honor, and close ties with both the ancestors and the spirits of the land and place you live in was very appealing to me.

Studying different religious practices around the world made me realize that what attracted me to Shinto was the practices of it, even though the cultural context made it hard for me to fully relate. But I saw these practices in many religions throughout the world. A foundation of respecting the local land spirits and honoring your ancestors. Local flavor was often added with additional remembrance of important men and women from history (and legend) and the myths of the gods.

I myself came from a split family background. My mother was Norwegian-American and my father was strongly Irish-American. At first, I felt closest to the Irish side of my family so I studied Celtic traditions. It never really grabbed me though so after about ten years I began studying similar Nordic traditions. For me, everything clicked. It's still a significant part of my life even while traveling abroad.

You don't need to be Japanese, however Shinto isn't a religion that you "join". Shinto is a practical religion that stresses living your life in harmony with nature and society, rather than focusing on death the way many other religions do. If you live your life according to Shinto principles, then you're as much a Shintoist as anyone. You can register with a Shinto Shrine but that's more about getting on the mailing list than anything else (In Japan, the governments have historically been either pro-Shinto or anti-Shinto and in some cases have forced people to register, but that was more about controlling the population than about Shinto). You can also worship some other religion's God if you like because to Shintoists it's just another Kami.

In Shinto everything starts out clean and unblemished (there is no concept of original sin) and you pick up "spiritual dirt" (evil spirits, if you want an anthropomorphic metaphor). Shinto rituals are designed to clean the spiritual dirt and bring your mental state back to the pure original state.

Shinto rituals are a lot like inviting a guest for dinner:

1. The area where the Kami will descend is cleaned.

2. An invitation for the Kami to descend is sent.

3. After descending, the Kami is offered food and drink.

4. Supplication, in the form of a Nerita (Shinto prayer) is performed. Dancing by the Miko is often done as well. Each Shrine has its own traditions.

5. The Kami is invited to depart.

6. The food offered to the Kami is shared among the participants. (Sometimes this is just a sip of sake).

While there are Shinto texts, they're not central to the religion the way some other religions' sacred books are. This allows Shinto to continue to be a vital part of people's lives rather than become moribund like some religions. Besides the Shrines, there are also religious specialists that may or may not be affiliated with the Shrines. New Shinto traditions can come from either source and sometimes the religious specialist might have more "force" than the priest.

Some sites for further study:

A scholarly site from the Kokugakuin University (one of two where most Shinto priests graduate from):

http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/

The Ise Shrine (Ise Jingu is one of the main shrines):

http://www.isejingu.or.jp/shosai/english/index.htm

A Shrine in Washington State:

http://www.tsubakishrine.org/history/index.html

A good book is "A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine".

The Western religions similar to Shinto were all brutally wiped out by the Christians hundreds of years ago. A few have been reinvented in recent years but it's hard to tell the sincere from the scams and none of the original traditions would have survived. Presumably there are some non-Western natural religions but there is little information on them.

Lil. No silly. Religion is choice. You don't have to be any race or culture to follow what you want to.