Japan, for most of its history, was separated from Korea and China by over 200 miles of seawater. At about 500 BCE the Japanese adopted the Chinese writing system. The Japanese sent their finest scholars to learn to read and write in China. The Japanese later began to write in their own language using Chinese characters and continued to adapt and change the written language for their use. In 522 BCE Buddhism priest arrived from Korea to Japan. Buddhism became very popular in Japan and became one of its main religions along with Shintoism. Shintoism (way of the gods) is an ancient religion of Japan that believed the Shinto gods created Japan.