History Main / ShrinesAndTemples

* ''MarmaladeBoy'' (everyone attends Hatsumode, and Miki visits a shrine in Hiroshima when Meiko runs off to be with Na-chan)

* ''HauntedJunction'' (Mutsuki is the daughter of a Shinto priestess, Kazumi is the grandson of a Buddhist priest. Haruto, the only one left out, is the son of a ''kirishitan'' (Christian) minister)

* ''{{Kannagi}}'', Nagi is a deity after all.
* ''KannazukiNoMiko''

** ''AoiHana''

[[caption-width-right:350:The Oomatono Tsunoten Shinto shrine in Inagi, Tokyo.]]

* ''BlueSeed'': The show's main heroine is a {{miko}}.

* ''NyanKoi!'', it's where all the fun with the cats started.

* ''TenchiMuyo'' (Yosho is the head priest of his own shrine and trains Tenchi there. Also, in ''Shin Tenchi Muyo'' Tenchi trains under another Shinto priest)

* ''AsagiriNoMiko''

* ''LuckyStar'' (Sometimes a setting in the story as Kagami and Tsukasa's father is a Shinto priest.)
* The second MonsterOfTheWeek battle in ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' takes place at the entrance of one.

* In the ''OuranHighSchoolHostClub'' manga the boys, Haruhi, and their new friend Mei all visit a temple for New Year's.

* Shrines show up frequently in ''{{xxxHolic}}'', and let's not get started on the shop where Yuuki lives...

** ''UtaKata''

* The girls from ''{{Tamayura}}'' like to hang out at some well-known temples in [[RealPlaceBackground their hometown of Takehara]], most notably Saihō-ji.

* ''{{Kamichu}}'' (Where else would a god hang out?)

* ''DennouCoil'' features a lot of them; the town the story is set in has a lot of old shrines, and the protagonists are often forced to seek refuge from [[ImplacableMan trigger-happy antivirus program Satchii]] (who is forbidden from entering shrines and private homes) in them.

* [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname Oshou]], [[DaChief The Captain's]] uncle in ''Manga/YoureUnderArrest'', is an old Shinto priest (and a retired cop — Kachou's actually kinda inherited his precinct) who bombs around [[TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse Sumida]] in an [[CoolCar E.R.A. Mini Turbo]].

* ''Manga/AhMyGoddess''

* ''BlueSeed''

* ''TenchiMuyo'' (Yosho is the head priest of his own temple and trains Tenchi there. Also, in ''Shin Tenchi Muyo'' Tenchi trains under another Shinto priest)

* In ''Videogame/AgeOfEmpiresIII'' the Japanese civilization can build Shrines, which provide their population, and produces resources.

The two main Japanese religions are [[{{UsefulNotes/Shinto}} Shinto]] (an animistic religion similar to (neo-)Paganism in the West) and [[{{UsefulNotes/Buddhism}} Buddhism]]. A lot of anime action takes place in Shinto shrines (''jinja'') and Buddhist temples (''tera''). Series with a supernatural bent may be set there for part or all of their action. More light-hearted SliceOfLife series may feature the characters attending a festival such as Hatsumode (New Year's), possibly as part of a FestivalEpisode. Famous shrines and temples are also good destinations for a ClassTrip.

* A very significant alien hunt takes place at a Buddhist temple in ''{{Gantz}}''.
* In ''GhostInTheShell:StandAloneComplex'' the prime minister visists a buddhist temple to meditate before a highly critical meeting, where she is attacked by a terrorist with a katana.

* The shrine of Oyashiro-sama in ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi'' is the venue for Watanagashi Festival, the major turning point in each story arc. It's also where two of the main characters live, and the social center of Hinamizawa ever since the dam protests brought the residents together for village meetings there.
* ''InuYasha'' often deals with temples, monks and priestesses, as Miroku is a Buddhist priest and Kikyo and Kaede are both mikos. Kagome actually lives in a shrine, and has miko powers, but isn't a miko yet.

* The ClassTrip {{Arc}} of ''MahouSenseiNegima'' includes a visit to a famous temple complex in Kyoto, and Konoka's childhood home is yet another temple complex. There's also the Tatsumiya Shrine, which was used by Chao as the setting for the TournamentArc of the Mahora Festival.

* In ''[[{{Yotsubato}} Yotsuba&!]]'', we get both. For the shrines, Jumbo takes Yotsuba and Ena cicada-catching at a local shrine, because of all the trees on the grounds make it a good hunting ground, and the girls later help pull a ''omikoshi'' (portable shrine) through the streets during a [[FestivalEpisode festival]] there. For the temples, Yotsuba's father uses a temple guardian statue to scare her after catching her lying one too many times.

** ''ElfenLied''

** ''{{Persona 4}}'' features a run-down shrine that seems to be abandoned except for a surprisingly money-hungry fox who has you fulfill the prayers of people who visit in exchange for discounts on healing in the TV World. [[spoiler: If you complete all the tasks you're given, the shrine gets lavishly redecorated, and turns out to be the spot where the fox [[YourTomcatIsPregnant raises her kits.]]]]

* ''SailorMoon'' (Rei/Sailor Mars is a ''{{miko}}'' at a Shinto shrine owned by her grandfather, and everyone goes to Hatsumode)

* The rather twisted shrine of Oyashiro-sama in ''HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi''.

* ''{{Mai-HiME}}''

* In ''DeathNote'', Sayu complains bitterly when she's told to run an errand for her mother instead of attending ''hatsumode''.

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' makes rather generous use of this trope - much of the action in the Season 1 finale takes place in an oasis at the North Pole, which can only be called a 'shrine' to the Ocean and Moon spirits. In episode three, when Aang first tastes the [[UnstoppableRage Avatar State]], shrines and temples to the Avatar all over the world are shown lighting up in sympathy with him. We later see a temple dedicated to the Avatar in the Fire Nation, and a shrine devoted to Avatar Kyoshi in her home island. There's also the four Air Temples.

* Worth noting: ''NeonGenesisEvangelion'' [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment is notable]] for containing almost ''no'' references to Japan's native religion or the most popular imported one, with only two exceptions -- a OneHundredAndEight reference that is quickly passed over, and a hilltop Shinto shrine that is almost demolished in an early episode.