Source: Taipei Times
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2007/05/19/2003361587
With an assist from the Internet, Shinto -- the ancient religion of Japan -- is experiencing a mild upturn in fervor among the Japanese.
"We see more people coming here," said a priest at the Meiji Shrine in the middle of Tokyo. "We see more weddings, more people bringing their babies for blessings, more requests for prayers to be rid of a curse or to prosper in business, more people taking part in festivals such as shichi-go-san," in which children aged three, five or seven are feted.
On a sunny Saturday, 15 nuptial processions, the brides covered in white silk from head to toe, were led to the wedding hall through crowds in the courtyard. Troupes of dancers from a nearby neighborhood and from Kagoshima, in the south of Japan, performed in the same courtyard.
On a rainy midweek day came a steady stream of visitors, some to pray, others to sightsee and some to do both. They were old and young, "salarymen" office workers and chattering students, families and tour groups that included a sprinkling of foreigners..