The famous Japanese products, anime and manga, have become increasingly popular around the world. Alverson (2013) noted that at the New York Comic Cons, the number of people attending the event has been increasing since 2000 (p. 23). Exner (2012) also appreciates the fact that anime has become a mainstream form of entertainment (p. 28). So what are they? According to many people, anime is Japanese cartoons and manga is Japanese comics. This belief is not wrong, but there are some fundamental differences that differentiate anime and manga from American comics and cartoons. Unlike comics which are primarily aimed at children, manga are aimed at audiences of various ages and therefore have a genre that comics do not have (Poitras, 2008, p. 49). This fact is also demonstrated by the greater manifestation of violence in anime compared to Disney cartoons (Disney VS anime, 2000, p. 22). Furthermore, manga stories usually tell a single story across several volumes, while comics generally have one story per issue (Poitras, 2008, p. 49). As noted previously, these types of Japanese entertainment are becoming increasingly popular around the world, and many scholars recognize this (Fennell, Liberato, Hayden & Fujino, 2013, p. 440). As these Japanese products span the globe, they also carry with them the Japanese culture depicted in their stories. Depending on the stories, the aspect of the culture they represent may be different. However, there are two particular aspects of Japanese culture that reappear several times in the various manga and anime. The first of these two is the assimilation of Japanese religion, mythologies, and folklore into the content of the stories. According to Plumb (2010), many souls and men...... middle of paper ......7). Shinto in Japan. Shinto in Japan, 1.0Levi, A. (2013). The Sweet Smell of Japan: Anime, Manga, and Japan in North America. Journal Of Asian Pacific Communication (John Benjamins Publishing Co., 23(1), 3-18.Marciano, JN, Ferreira, ALS, Carvalho Correia, AC, Miranda, LC & Miranda, EEC (2013). Karuchā Ships Invaders: Cultural Problems on the design/development of a Japanese CALL game made by/for Brazilians SBC – Proceedings of SBGames,. 172-180.O'Malley, R. & Bryce, M. (2012). Fantasy Can Tell the Truth: Focus on the Manga Series, "Fruits Basket". and manga International Journal Of The Humanities, 8(5),. 237-246?.