We have mentioned it before on this blog that one of the many things that surprise first- (and often second- and third-) time visitors to Japan is the coexistence of two religions, sometimes ...
Now, the relationship between the Japanese and cats is long and well known. From the cat illustrations in the ukiyo-e woodblock prints of the Edo Period (1600-1868) to Maneki-neko, the beckoning cat ...
The native Japanese religion of Shinto might well be an ancient faith, but it's rarely concerned about violating a "sacred" image. People eat and drink at shrines. And now two miko shrine maidens ...