I would say Japan is a very spiritual nation and Japanese culture interacts with "higher powers" much more often than people realize...even Japanese people. Just because people aren't always strictly attached to one single religion (say Buddhism or Christianity) doesn't mean they aren't spiritual.

In regards to Christmas, I think the American Chistmas is much more "materialistic" than in Japan. Christmas in Japan is essentially a romantic couples holiday. Married folks and children don't do much on Christmas, though I have heard Santa Claus stops there now. Christmas has always been a commercial holiday and never been about Jesus.

I attended a private, Jesuit university in Nagoya - they had church clubs, a church on campus, and even put on the Passion play - but still, only a small percent of the students there were Christian (less than 10%).

How does he get in? There are not too many chimneys for him to slide down :mtongue:

My dealings with Christians in Japan has not been a great experience to be honest. As there are not that many of them, you don't tend to meet many normal ones. The only christians I have encountered have been knocking in on my door (at 8am on new years day for crying out loud) or accosting me on the street :mad:

Please read the OP question below:

Would all you who live in Japan (or have recently) say Christianity is "on the rise"?

I didn't notice it, although you would think that the Christians are pushing hard taking full advantage of the lack of interest in the national religion.

I have found that a large chunk of the Japanese Christians in Japan tend to be far more "cult"-like in their beliefs than, well, pretty much most other actual "cults". Japanese Christianity, or at least the variety of it that seems to be the most mainstream, tends to use the rising of Christ as a very main point - pushing the possibility of others rising from the dead with his power.
I have received pamphlets countless times strongly implying that if I were to convert that Jesus Christ would resurrect my loved ones sometime during my lifetime.

Even in the varieties that don`t push this belief as strongly, it still appears to be there in a lot of Japanese followers.

There have even been cases of zealous believers keeping the bodies of parents/loved ones in their homes secretly in the hope they would revive. I think this makes Christianity look VERY "cult" like to the average person here.

(I write cult in quotes because, quite honestly, the only real difference I see between an established religion and "cult" is number of followers and time of existence. If it`s a new religion, everyone calls it a cult - regardless of whether it is strange or extreme.)

Cults always do well in Japan.

Strange place, sometimes.

Wow, interesting, Nyororin.



I brought up this thread because when I was in Japan, one of my classmates was housed with a Mormon (or Jahova's witness, don't remember) family -- which I thought was really strange that even these sub-religions have bled into Japanese society.

i would go with what MMM said. christianity isn't very big here so even if it would be on the rise, you wouldn't notice it.

Christianity is on the rise in Thailand, at least. They think it makes them more civilized... but it doesn't work.

It's because more and more poeple are moving from lower class to middle class, and they're looking for ways to modernize, and move into the new age culture and western life style.

It isn't uncommon to find, in Thailand, things labelled "American Standard", as it has a middle class consumer appeal. This ranges from things like bottled water right up to furniture selection.

Bloody dicks. Why don't they just try and be themselves, they just look dumb. Now, they do it all wrong, anyway; instead of eating with their hands, they use a spoon... when it should be a fork. Instead of giving insence to statues of Buddha or old monks, they now give them to mother Mary... why? You're supposed to go to church in Christianity, not give grotty food and insence to lifeless statues that are only meant as symbols or art in Christianity, not as enchanted spiritual objects, such as Buddhists see.

I do hope Japan never goes down this same, lame path. But since they're mostly all middle class now anyway, I don't think they will. They've already modernized enough, and have survived the previous Christian onslaught post WW2, so they should do fine.