A Little about Japanese Culture
Japan is a nation of 6,852 islands. 430 are inhabited, though the national population of 127 million (the 10th most populous in the world) is concentrated on five main islands with 80% living on the island of Honshu. Together, the islands are roughly the size of California, mountainous, largely unsuitable for farming or habitation, and thick with dense forests. Temperatures are generally mild though they are more tropical in the south and colder in the north. Being located on the Ring of Fire in the Pacific Ocean means Japan has numerous earthquakes each year and withstands its fair share of typhoons, monsoons, and tsunamis.
Life for most Japanese is fast-paced and unrelenting. From an early age, children are under pressure to get into the “right schools” to secure a bright future. Most students attend “juku,” extracurricular schools available to those as young as preschool. Getting and holding a good job is considered an honor to the whole family. Japanese companies, however, push employees hard. People can be required to work as much as 80 extra hours per week and a "work-life balance" from a western context is rare.
It is a struggle to find time for relationships. When people do marry, it is around the age of 25 to people of their own choosing, though using a matchmaker is not uncommon. Many live in a multi-generational home, though it is acceptable to live separately, especially in cities where living quarters are cramped. Fathers typically work six days a week, leaving mothers to the care and education of the children. Many women choose to or need to work outside of the home too. This and an unstable economy are some of the possible reasons for Japan’s shrinking birth rate.
The Greater Tokyo Area, at 38 million inhabitants, is the world’s most populous urban area. In fact, ninety percent of Japanese people live in cities. Only 5% work in agriculture. Japan is a homogeneous nation. 98% speak the same language and share the same culture and ethnicity. Approximately 35 smaller populations of native people groups and immigrants also live in Japan.
​
Outsiders of any stripe, however, find it difficult to be accepted in Japan. Reportedly, Japanese people look down on other people groups in Japan as being “second-class citizens.” Smaller, indigenous people groups are and have been systematically integrated by the Japanese government; their indigenous languages and cultures are on the verge of extinction.
Another type of prejudice that exists is a remnant of the caste thinking of Japan’s feudal days. The Burakumin are a people who, though genetically identical to the Japanese, are still discriminated against today. Historically the Burakumin worked in jobs associated with death (undertakers, butchers, tanners, etc.). According to Buddhism, these professions make them permanently unclean. This uncleanness is passed on to offspring regardless of whether they work in those professions or not. An even lower class, the hinan, were (are) considered non- human: ex-convicts, beggars, prostitutes, etc. Today there are laws to protect these people, but the reality is that the prejudice is still strongly felt especially in regards to housing, employment, and marriage prospects.
There are, of course, many beautiful and well-known aspects of Japanese culture. Their distinctive traditional dress, architecture, artwork, writing, and gardens have brought much beauty to the world for centuries. Popular cultural and artistic pursuits include the highly intricate tea ceremony, martial arts, calligraphy, ikebana (flower arranging), poetry, papermaking, and silk weaving. Additionally, the Japanese contribute to world culture through outstanding technology, automobiles, popular music and movies, anime, and video gaming.
When discussing the religion of Japan it is easy to cite the statistics. Shintoism, the belief native to Japan, claims 70-90% of the population; Buddhism: 70%; non-religious: 5%; Evangelical Christianity: 0.57%; and a smattering belonging to “other” categories.
​
ETHNORELIGION SHINBUTSU-SHUGO may better describe Japan's religious climate. "Shinbutsu-shugo" is the local expression given to a unique Japanese Folk Religion that mixes elements of Shinto and Buddhism. Though Shinto and Buddhism were formally separated by the "Shinbutsu Bunri" policy enacted in 1868, temples and shrines that do not separate them are common and most Japanese people practice a mix of Shinto and Buddhism without seeing any contradiction. (Most claim both Shintoism and Buddhism as they are not exclusive religions; thus the percentages total more than 100%.)
​
The reality of the matter is more complicated, however. Most people in Japan are indifferent to all religions. They rarely ever speak of it except for ceremonies; "we are born Shinto, married Christian, and buried Buddhist. Practice of Shintoism and Buddhism is more rote tradition than fervent belief. “We just don’t care,” is the way one Japanese man summed up his countrymen’s attitudes toward religion.
Though Japan enjoys religious freedom, moving to belief in Christ is difficult when a society’s highest goal is conformity. Indeed, the phrase “coming out” is used when describing a Japanese person who becomes openly Christian. Christianity is seen as a “Western” religion, distinctly un-Japanese. In recent years, however, many have sensed an openness by the Japanese to the Gospel. Many feel Japan is poised for a breakthrough of the Holy Spirit. As the second-largest unreached people group in the world, what changes would we see if the Japanese embraced the Gospel and became true disciples of Jesus, obeying his command to make more disciples?
