A Year in the Life of a Shinto Shrine

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Summary: A beautifully written look behind Shinto's veil of mystery.
Review: For any serious student of Shinto or highly interested, independent researcher, this book is a wonderful choice. Dr. Nelson's vivid imagery and comprehensive descriptions give the reader a chance to connect emotionally with the events as they transpire across time. In my case, I felt almost as though I was present. There are few English-language volumes on Shinto which so clearly and eloquently deliver up to the reader what, until recent years, has been arcane knowledge unavailable to the West.

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Summary: Nostalgia
Review: It has been years, but I still remember Doc Nelson quite well, as one of the best professors I have ever had. He was capable of educating you without feeling like you were being schooled, if you know what I mean. In his book, it is much the same as in his classes. He provides such powerful imagery to invoke the spirit of the Suwa Shrine that it feels like you are there. And given that I lived in Nagasaki and have been there on several occasions, it feels to me that I have returned. You can experience through his first-person narrative the depth of ritual and see as well how it permeates into the life of the average Japanese person, who may not even realize it.

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Summary: The ritual cycle of a Shinto Shrine.
Review: The author uses a major Shinto Shrine, Nagasaki's Suwa Shrine, as the focus of the book. It starts out with chapters about Kami, the history of the shrine and a overview of rituals and ceremonies then the book is cut up into Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. It has lots of details, including, in the back, a map of the shrine, glossary of terms, list of festivals and rituals of the Suwa Shrine and works cited. The details are about this ONE Shrine, so if you wanted a book on all kami and shrines in Japan THIS is not it. Yet it does give a nice first person account of events in a Shinto Shrine, dealing with beliefs, practices and how the shrine interacts with the city's community, businesses and families. Kind of like seeing the forest by examing one of the trees.
A must for people interested in Shintoism or Japan.