The very concept of religion is actually rather unique to the Church, Judaism, and Islam. One could argue that the Eastern regions practiced state worship, but this was usually a more truncated idea of "the emperor was chosen by or is a descendant of the gods."
Many other cultures do not have a religion in the way that we have the church - for better or worse. The emperor is the incarnate will of the gods, or major changes/shifts are rationalized as being the arbitration of those gods.
The European cultures have a bit more "tree worship" idea behind them. Man and woman came from a tree. This can be considered similar to Ygdrassil, though is a much more specific and separate idea. The Japanese had the idea that spirits could become trapped in trees and there was a special ritual for cutting down trees that were believed to contain spirits. This is part of what you see around shrine areas, where those ropes with talismans are wrapped around the trunk of a tree.
Of course, the Japanese believed the imperial lineage of their nation came from Lady Amaterasu. According to legend, Japan was created by the God Izanagi and the Goddess Izanami, themselves born of even higher/tangent beings. Izanami fell to the underworld, and Izanagi failed in his attempt to retrieve her. Afterward, he washed his face in a river and the beings Amaterasu, Susano'o, and Tsukuyomi were born. Amaterasu was the Sun. Tsukuyomi was the Moon. Susano'o was the stars. There were greek-level shenanigans among the gods, as many others came to be, such as my personal favorite, Uzume (now THERE is a name that is a Japanese pun on steroids).
Anyway - Amaterasu bestowed upon her grandson three sacred treasures, the Yatta Mirror, the Kusanagi, and some sort of Magetama. These three form the Imperial Regalia of Japan and are one of its most closely guarded treasures. As in - no one outside of a select group of monks have even seen these things.
If you know the legends of Kaguya-Hime (The Bamboo Cutter) - then it should come as no surprise that virtually every Japanese fiction takes a turn for the sci-fi space opera we are just a tiny sliver of.
Speaking of Uzume, spirals, Naruto, and trees - the ancient sumerian beliefs held in high esteem the dragons Apsu and Tiamat. Tiamat was what Toists would later define as Yin - "the infinite nothing" - the dragon of the salt/bitter waters who contained all that was and all that was not. Sheer chaos that created abyssal horrors and abominations.
Apsu was the dragon of the sweet/fresh waters, what Taoists would later define as Yang. It was Apsu who chose what to keep of Tiamat's endless creations. Thus, the churning tides of mixing waters was where Apsu and Tiamat resided.
"Uzushiogakure" the Japanese had a rather similar concept that would be used, later, in one of the most popular anime series of all time.
The more you learn about the world and its symbolism, the more you begin to see into the abyss. Careful, though… You get a lot of owls in your trees when you start getting the eyes for seeing in the dark. There are a lot of people playing in this game, and ignorance is somewhat bliss. People who know things are dangerous. You can't lop off every head that starts questioning, but you can set a height limit and off people who begin obtaining means.
That is something that will change in time, and the Sword of Damocles held over many families will be placed back in its sheath, but for the time being, there is wisdom in the phrase "only the court jester can speak truth to power and live to laugh about it." In other words… If you come to realize you have damning information on Hillary Clinton, be very smart about how you use it. There are still blades in the shadows. Not all of those owls are looking to hunt rats in my garden.