Shinto is the native religion of Japan. Some years ago I saw a documentary about Japan. A car was made and produced by a leading company such as Nissan or Toyota but it didn't sell. In the end the company learned that the car's front grill resembled a sad face and so the car might have a negative spirit.
All places both natural and manmade can have a spirit or kami and it is best not to offend them by forgetting to remove your shoes as you enter a house for example. Do German car companies think about these things when they design cars for export to Japan?
In sumo wrestling the contest begins with the ritual of the athletes throwing salt into the arena. This symbolic act is a purifying of the space in the Shinto tradition. Also It isn't uncommon to see cones of salt in japan which must surely serve a similar purifying idea.
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