Religions can be seen as a form of intangible cultural heritage. In Japan, there are countless historical shrines that serve as places of Shinto worship. With deep roots in Japanese culture, the traditional religion is both rich and complex. CGTN's Terrence Terashima explains.

There is no simple explanation for Shinto. The Japanese spiritual practice has its origins in a collection of ancient beliefs and animism. In ancient times, megaliths, mountains and forests were thought of as places where deities could descend from the spiritual realm and be worshiped. Over time, they became shrines like this. Dating back 1,900 years, these sites have born witness to Japan's feudal and modern history.

MASAMORI SAWATARI CHIEF PRIEST, OOKUNITAMA-JINJYA "I do not know if we should call Shinto a religion, but it is a belief that expresses gratitude towards nature. There are no scriptures, and no boundaries between the Shinto gods, or 'Kami' in Japanese. In some places, historical figures ascended and were worshiped as gods. Mount Fuji was worshiped, and if you go to Wakayama prefecture, a waterfall is worshiped as a sacred deity. So, in Japan, there are hundreds of deities that people worship and they all form the roots of Shinto."

Masamori Sawatari is the chief priest at this historic shrine. He says Shinto practices have not only co-existed with different indigenous deities, but also religions that came into Japan from abroad. Like Buddhism.

MASAMORI SAWATARI CHIEF PRIEST, OOKUNITAMA-JINJYA "I think Shinto overlaps with how Japanese tradition and culture was formed. Shinto and Buddhism co-existed, Temples and shrines, side-by-side, learned and spread their beliefs in syncretism. Tolerance is the basic philosophy of Shinto and has become embedded in Japanese culture as a whole."

I asked him what it means for him to be a priest.

MASAMORI SAWATARI CHIEF PRIEST, OOKUNITAMA-JINJYA "My ancestors have been chief priests here for generations. So I have a sense of duty and a mission to fulfill my role here. When I was young, I resisted. I wanted a more liberating job, I wanted to free myself from inheriting the title. But I came to realize that the Chief Priest has an important role in the community, as a center of people's faith and has a responsibility to hold the community together, whether by communicating with people at local gatherings or organizing festivals. I am now grateful for the duty I can perform as a member of the community and society."

In the past decade, Japan has faced a number of natural disasters. These tragedies claimed thousands of lives. Many remain displaced from their homes. Masamori visited the disaster-hit areas and participated in relief operations. It proved to be a thought-provoking experience

MASAMORI SAWATARI CHIEF PRIEST, OOKUNITAMA-JINJYA "When I went to a place called Tagajo, and visited a shrine there, I realized that most of the places that were hit by the tsunami were places that people moved in within the last hundred years. There are old teachings warning us of the dangers of natural disasters, and we did not heed the warnings. We put too much confidence in technology and forgot how much of a threat nature can pose. I grieved for the people but, at the same time, learned that we should not ignore the voices from the past."

But Masamori is looking forward, too, towards things like the festivities Japan will celebrate in the next two years.

Every Shrine houses different gods, sports different designs, and has different historical value. Some are more modest than others. But each has something to teach visitors about Japan's traditions and culture. Terrence Terashima, CGTN, Tokyo.