Eight Million Gods
Joseph Honton, Geographer and World Traveler
Original Date: Thursday, January 17, 2013

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The native religion of Japan is poorly understood, and even regular practitioners sometimes admit to their vague knowledge of its ways. Rituals, prayers, mythology, and superstitions all seem to jumble together with venerated trees, holy mountains, and sacred power spots in surprising and fantastic ways. After the triple disasters of 2011 the Japanese looked for hope and guidance, but mostly found despair and misinformation. In his new book There's a God for That Joseph Honton wonders if a return to Shinto wouldn't be the best place to find comfort and meaning in the face of tragedy.

Joseph Honton married in a Shinto ceremony three decades ago and has lived a bi-cultural life ever since. He has visited some of Japan's most remote places. He and his wife were travelling on the far side of Japan during the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns of March 2011.

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