In secular Japan, what draws so many to temples and shrines? Stamp collecting and tradition

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Momo Nomura, a graphic artist and entrepreneur, visits a shrine near her business meetings or trips almost weekly. She prays first according to the Shinto rules, then heads to the reception to get a Goshuin, a seal stamp certifying her visit that comes with elegant calligraphy and the season’s drawings. In a country where 70% of the population consider themselves nonreligious, Nomura represents a Japanese pragmatic approach to traditional religions that serve to keep family and community ties, rather than the theology of an absolute god as a guidepost, in contrast to Western values based on Christianity, experts say.