Religion

I think its interesting how much Buddhism and Shinto overlap in Japan. Having (or following) 2 religions is okay here, something I'm not used to people being okay with...

In a statistic that was mentioned in class, a huge percentage of Japanese people do not consider themselves religious. I thought this was odd, considering religion is one of the things about Japanese society that I find is extremely visible. Shrines and temples are littered everywhere across the landscape (especially in this area, being so close to Kyoto), and it's not hard to find traces of Buddhist or Shinto thought in everyday life in Japan. So what's the deal? Are Japanese people really not all that religious, given how carefree and non-strict the attitude that most Japanese have when it comes to religion (esp. compared to the west and it's religions)? Or are Japanese people SO religious that religion is just an expected part of everyday life? For example, religion is so far ingrained into Japanese society that a simple ritual or religious tradition is something you just DO?

This is an question that I've been pondering. Western religions and their integration in society are a huge contrast to what I've experienced in Japan thus far. Visiting temples and shrines is one of my favorite things to do here, but I have yet to find a concrete answer. I probably never will.