Do the Japanese people have religion? Actually, I think the Japanese people are quite ambiguous about religion. It is our national trait to embrace innumerable gods. Also, in any times, the Japanese people are curious and tend to be fond of novel things. When new culture is brought into Japan from China or Korea, the rich and the authorities would pay anything regardless of the cost in order to study, develop, and transform them into the Japanized products which become far from the original imported conditions.
New Year is now a very popular event. During the first 3 days of January, people follow a custom of Shinto religion to visit shrine. This is called “Hatsumairi,” the first visit of the year to the shrine. Some famous shrines have as many as half a million visitors. Young people take this opportunity to go out for a date. And the same young people also enjoy Christmas as they exchange presents and prepare Teriyaki chicken instead of Turkey and Christmas cake for dinner. The Japanese people do not have a sense of sin because they do not conform to monotheism. Rather, they tend to perceive it in the opposite way.
PHOTO CITED FROM SOZAING.COM
PHOTO CITED FROM SOZAING.COM
It is much more appropriate to say that the Japanese people like to see a spirit of god or a sense of Buddha that anybody possesses in their heart. On Christmas night, the Japanese people prepare western-style dinner and when New Year comes, they prepare traditional Japanese-style holiday foods called, “Osechi,” on the same dining table. Usually, Osechi has more than 30 different kinds of dishes with special meanings celebrating the New Year. The Japanese people would spend the New Year’s Day talking about resolutions of each family member.
PHOTO CITED FROM SOZAING.COM
The Japanese people also believe that even non-living things have spirits of god. So when we dispose something, for example, a kitchen knife, we read the sutras for the purpose of a memorial service and pray for the repose of its soul. Laboratory where animal experiments are conducted, the scientists visit a temple once a year to pray for all the mice to rest in peace. I assume no other countries have scientists like that.