Equinox is the day when daylight and nighttime become exactly equal. The spring equinox falls around the 21st of March, where the weather is getting warmer, although due to global warming effect, it is not actually the case this year.
The old Japanese folklore belief of worshiping the souls of ancestors was combined with the Buddhist belief that Heaven lies due west. People started to visit their family graves, so they say, on the Equinox, when the sun sets due west.
source: “Moons, Months and Seasons” – Kyobundo 1992
Talking about religion in Japan, the Japanese are usually born and grow up as a Shinto or Buddhist but get married as a Christian, either Protestant or Catholic. They would go to temples or shrines to ask for luck with love, studies or careers. But they would also attend churches, especially on Christmas. This might seem weird or unacceptable to some of us, but most probably, it is because these Japanese understand that when it comes to faith, it is not about the institution.
