Religion in Japan (seriously, right in the middle of it)

Many westerners do not think of Japan as a very religious country. I believe that this was demonstrated in this very class, when one of my western peers kept talking about how Japan didn't take their religion seriously because they referred to the Shinto stories as mythology (ignoring the fact that it was a translation and might not be what the original intent was or that you could just as easily talk about Jewish, Christian, or Islamic mythology). They may think, however, that Japan is very spiritual. Now perhaps this is merely splitting hairs, but I do think that there is a difference. I think that most people see religion as very strict uniform thing. Alternatively, spirituality is more of everyday things. As such, I can see how people would see Japan as spiritual. The main way I think this is represented is the small shrines that dot the Japanese landscape. Not just on the rural dirt roads, but all over the place. I pass at least two on my way to school each day. Photographed below is the larger of the two, one that is what most people think of when they think of a shrine. There are others, however, that are small wooden boxes with various statues in them. I've never seen anyone take care of them, but they are always in very good condition so someone must.