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Are Japanese People Religious?
A model of flexible belief systems which grant me peace and comfort
If you ask a Japanese person if they are religious, most would probably shake their heads no. They don’t really go to a church, have a Quran or similar religious text, or practice praying to any specific god.
But if you look at Japanese culture, it would seem it is steeped in religion.
Officially there are two main belief systems in the country, Buddhism and Shintoism. There are many large Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines scattered throughout the country, and even small neighborhoods would usually have their modest local shrine. During national holidays such as New Year’s or Obon, people will often visit their family graves to pay their respects, and otherwise many will regularly visit temples and shrines to pray, and sometimes carry a small Buddhist altar called a butsudan in the home.
So why does it feel odd to identify as Buddhist or as a practitioner of Shintoism for many people, even though they engage in these practices? Do these practices not make one religious?
There is a lot of literature on the debate, and the phenomenon that is rejecting the label of religious without identifying as atheist. Because if you were to ask these same people if they were spiritual, rather…
