Shrine visits are a cultural tradition rather than a religious observance, especially when you consider that neighborhood shrines have been an important part of Japanese communities for centuries. While some Western observers would call these observances superstitious, I find them to be a very deep-rooted part of Japanese society.
Furthermore, Shinto priests are always on hand to bless baseball teams before spring training begins, and at ground-breaking ceremonies for new buildings, or when machinery or vehicles that have been in use for a long time, are retired. Prayers are written on votive tablets at shrines on the eve of important exams, Coming-of-Age Day, a job interview or in the quest for a suitable husband or wife. Yet they go in droves to shrines during O-bon and New Year. Most Japanese I know say they do not believe in a deity or profess to follow any religion. My view is that Japanese people are spiritual rather than religious. According to the Cultural Affairs Agency, as of 2011, more than 180,000 groups across the country were licensed as religious corporations by the agency and prefectural governments. Japan is certainly fertile ground for religious cults, sects and the like. Books have been written about the subject, dealing in-depth with all kinds of topics ranging from Shinto, Buddhism, Yasukuni Shrine and organizations such as Soka Gakkai to the importance of the humble neighborhood shrine.
Every so often, I get asked by friends or relatives overseas if Japanese people are religious.