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The cost is minuscule compared to the ROI. Religion in Japan is big business, just like your home country. Rest assured that when you visit a shrine in Japan,

The cost is minuscule compared to the ROI. Religion in Japan is big business, just like your home country. Rest assured that when you visit a shrine in Japan, the first thing to greet you will be an offering box. .

pcurve 4y ago
Oh yeah tell me about it. Every single shrine I hit in Kyoto... it was 500-600 yen.. and this was when exchange rate was 90 yen per dollar!
- alephnan 4y ago
  You're confusing temples with shrines.
- SapporoChris 4y ago
  shrines can be happy with an offering as little as 5 yen. https://guidable.co/culture/japanese-shrines-how-much-donation-money-should-we-offer/ https://guidable.co/culture/japanese-shrines-how-much-donati... https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/busting-one-of-the-biggest-myths-about-the-%C2%A55-coin-and-shrine-offerings-in-japan https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/busting-o...
  - pcurve 4y ago
    Offering is optional. Entrance fee is not. Most major temples have mandatory entrance fee
alephnan 4y ago
> The cost is minuscule compared to the ROI. Religion in Japan is big business, just like your home country. That's a very western way of looking at things. Alternatively, it can be viewed as a community crowdsourcing and preserving culture.
- tinco 4y ago
  No, it's a sceptical way of looking at it. Most western people also view donating to religious institutions is a way of supporting their communities and culture. Collectivism isn't a monopoly of the east.
  - alephnan 4y ago
    > Collectivism isn't a monopoly of the east. Is that why people in the West refuse to wear mask?
    - tinco 4y ago
      Ah you're right, I've never seen anyone wear a mask ever in the past 3 years.
- astrange 4y ago
  The current religion in Japan was mostly consciously invented in the Meiji period so Westerners couldn’t say they were religion-less savages who needed colonizing. (Same goes for most modern forms of Buddhism.)
  - alephnan 4y ago
    > consciously invented in the Meiji period So the Meiji government traveled back in time a thousand years and erected Shinto shrines all over Japan?
    - astrange 4y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Shinto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Shinto
      - alephnan 4y ago
        Then you should know imperial shrines are obviously different. I’ve been to 47 prefectures of Japan and thousands of shrines. I’m well aware imperial shrines exist. Just because American politicians utilize the word God does not mean they invented Christianity.

pcurve 4y ago

Oh yeah tell me about it. Every single shrine I hit in Kyoto... it was 500-600 yen.. and this was when exchange rate was 90 yen per dollar!

alephnan 4y ago
You're confusing temples with shrines.
SapporoChris 4y ago
shrines can be happy with an offering as little as 5 yen. https://guidable.co/culture/japanese-shrines-how-much-donation-money-should-we-offer/ https://guidable.co/culture/japanese-shrines-how-much-donati... https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/busting-one-of-the-biggest-myths-about-the-%C2%A55-coin-and-shrine-offerings-in-japan https://japantoday.com/category/features/lifestyle/busting-o...
- pcurve 4y ago
  Offering is optional. Entrance fee is not. Most major temples have mandatory entrance fee

alephnan 4y ago

> The cost is minuscule compared to the ROI. Religion in Japan is big business, just like your home country. That's a very western way of looking at things. Alternatively, it can be viewed as a community crowdsourcing and preserving culture.

tinco 4y ago
No, it's a sceptical way of looking at it. Most western people also view donating to religious institutions is a way of supporting their communities and culture. Collectivism isn't a monopoly of the east.
- alephnan 4y ago
  > Collectivism isn't a monopoly of the east. Is that why people in the West refuse to wear mask?
  - tinco 4y ago
    Ah you're right, I've never seen anyone wear a mask ever in the past 3 years.
astrange 4y ago
The current religion in Japan was mostly consciously invented in the Meiji period so Westerners couldn’t say they were religion-less savages who needed colonizing. (Same goes for most modern forms of Buddhism.)
- alephnan 4y ago
  > consciously invented in the Meiji period So the Meiji government traveled back in time a thousand years and erected Shinto shrines all over Japan?
  - astrange 4y ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Shinto https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_Shinto
    - alephnan 4y ago
      Then you should know imperial shrines are obviously different. I’ve been to 47 prefectures of Japan and thousands of shrines. I’m well aware imperial shrines exist. Just because American politicians utilize the word God does not mean they invented Christianity.