Japan's Ancient Myth Road— A Shinto god dances for the community elders of this small farming village in the mountains of Kyushu. The Kojiki, an ancient collection of Japanese myths, describes the possible origins of the Kagura dances as when the sun goddess, Amaterasu, retreats into a cave, making the world dark and cold. Another Shinto goddess, Uzume, danced wildly at the cave’s entrance, taking off her clothes, causing the other gods to laugh, and eventually luring Amaterasu out of the cave.