Japanese Religion, Spirituality and A Walk in Aso
Japan hasn’t been known as a particularly religious country by any means for the past century or so, despite having lots of its history rooted in Buddhism and Shintoism. On a surface level religion may seem more important than in actuality, with several quite visible displays being obvious: the majority of Japanese will conduct Shintoist events like Shichi-Go-San for their children, carry various charms and ultimately have a Buddhist funeral. Many families even have either a miniature Buddhist or Shinto shrine in their households.
Pinpointing the exact amount of religious people, or even a percentage is difficult. You can find many different articles and surveys on the internet that show a variety of statistics. It is a rather ambiguous undefined answer. Many seem to not recognize themselves as being inherently religious, yet practice some form of religious ceremony. That could be something as small as burning incense or visiting a temple on New Years.
This has been a topic of conversation brought up with some of my students. Most of them echo a similar sentiment. That they don’t let religion dictate their lives, but often partake in one form or another of Buddhism or Shintoism. In one group lesson, an older gentleman said quite elegantly that he believes Japanese people are more spiritual than religious. I asked what spirituality meant to them, and found a commonality between answers, in that its about connections.
They expressed how they get a feeling of spirituality through connections to people. That could be to those alive or deceased, friends or strangers.
Now I get the connection to friends and family, that’s just part of human nature, but with strangers not so much. To be honest I’ve found this a difficult notion to comprehend while living in the metropolis of Tokyo. Easily passing thousands of people daily on my commute to work, most seem to be staring at their phones or asleep. This doesn’t manifest much of a connection. This did however get me thinking about a situation that happened to me in the southern island of Kyushu months earlier.
Trip In Aso
As part of a four day car trip with my grandfather while visiting a part of Aso, we came to an abrupt stop. I was curious as to why we would when seemingly nothing was around us except for a small shop and a forest by a stream. I assumed my grandfather wanted to go to the restroom or grab a drink. Instead he tells me to get out and start walking towards a small path. I got out, glad at the opportunity to stretch and take photos.
When I started walking down the path, there were a couple shops and signs that pointed in the direction of a small shrine. It was devoted to water, with a small unassuming Shinto gate. The standard donation box with a bell to ring and pray were present. However the real memorable moment came when returning to the car.
As I’m walking down a small path towards the beginning of the trail, I stumble upon a woman. She’s just standing there seemingly praying, whispering some words to herself. As I got closer, I could hear her saying “なんで”, (Why) repeatedly. For a moment I wasn’t exactly sure how to react. Do I continue on my walk pretending to not notice her, is it rude to stay and investigate?
I decided to just slow down, and take pictures of anything around, surveying what was happening. It certainly seemed like she was praying from her pose and how she was standing. I must have been pretty loud as all of a sudden she turned around and looked at me. I felt odd for a second, and just stared back at her. It felt like I had been caught, exposed for some mischievous crime. I probably came across as a creepy dude, but there was no going back at this point.
She appeared upset, not crying or anything, but possibly distraught. She turned back around quickly. I instinctively asked her if she was alright, and immediately after thought, it’s none of my business. She didn’t respond, signaling indeed it wasn’t any of my business. I then asked if I could take a picture, which she turned around a gave me a smile. I quickly snapped a picture, seemingly catching what was a weirdly beautiful moment.
Now my common sense will tell me that this was nothing, and all due to my imagination running rampant. I’m not one to believe or fall for esoteric nonsense that can often be found in religion. This was different, did I reach some kind of spiritual understanding? Was this the feeling of connectivity that my students would allude to months later?
As I begin to walk past her, heading for a small bridge back to the road, I was able to get a peak at what this mysterious women was holding. A quick glance over her shoulder revealed a lot. She wasn’t praying, nor was she upset, or even talking to herself.
It finally all made sense of who she was talking to. It wasn’t to some person she lost, or her reconciling over a problem. No it was none of that. Rather she was having a discussion with her virtual anime boyfriend on her phone. I mean hey, relatable…
Now this shouldn’t really be a surprise as dating sims in Japan are not uncommon. I’ve seen quite a few people on trains playing them to kill time. There was even a man who recently spent 2 million yen on a wedding with the virtual pop star Miku. I just had to laugh, shaking my head at my own stupidity. I made my way back to the car where my grandfather was waiting to go on to our next stop.
If you wish to message me, you can reach me at shotarohmoore@hotmail.com.
