It is now said that Japanese have little religious belief and, with the exception of special occasions such as funerals, have little concept of the difference between Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, of which many are considered places of business or tourist attractions.
現代では、「日本人は信仰心が薄い」とよく言われるように葬式など特別の時以外は寺社の違いはあまり意識されておらず、現世利益的・または観光対象として同列に述べられている例が多い。