3 ms·

Dont forget buddhism, which is basically for funerals only. Most japanese (>90%) get a buddhist funeral (supposedly expensive).

baud147258 4y ago
isn't there a saying that goes something like 'Japanese are born Shintoist, marry as Christian and are buried Buddhist' ? Like as if religion was a more mutable part of one's identity, compared to other countries.
- cdavid 4y ago
  Most people who get married the "western style", do it w/ fake priest, etc. It has no recognized religious value. Other people do it the "shinto way" or the "buddhist way".
- naniwaduni 4y ago
  This, too, is an artifact of viewing about religion through the lens of a tradition which is unusually (a) more concerned about having the right beliefs ("orthodoxy") than performing the right rituals ("orthopraxy"), and (b) centered around a jealous god to the exclusion of other religious practice. Without (b), there's no need for such a strong delineation between religion and general cultural practice. You perform "Shinto" rituals because that's what everyone around you has done and you're pretty sure it's worked out fine for them. You have a "Christian" wedding because that seems like the most legibly festive (and accordingly popular) marriage ritual available to you, out of a handful of distinct but all perfectly functional marriage rituals that you're pretty sure have worked fine for people around you. You conduct "Buddhist" funerals because those are the most practical funeral rituals for your setting and you're pretty sure they've worked out fine for people around you. You don't need to think very hard about the fact that these rituals come from different traditions and follow different and contradictory "theory" behind the scenes; it's just a curiosity if it comes up, but mostly it doesn't. As long as the rituals seem to work and life goes on, it doesn't really matter.
cdavid 4y ago
wedding as well. I don't have numbers, but most people who got married in Japan I know, including myself, did it.
grapeskin 4y ago
People visit Buddhist temples as social get togethers. It’s common for friends to meet up, walk through a temple, and pray. There are also very devout branches and even political parties with strong Buddhist connections. This comment chain seems to increasingly be full of people who haven’t been to Japan talking about it, and it shows.
- andi999 4y ago
  Because the temples have a street food and shops in front of it?

baud147258 4y ago

isn't there a saying that goes something like 'Japanese are born Shintoist, marry as Christian and are buried Buddhist' ? Like as if religion was a more mutable part of one's identity, compared to other countries.

cdavid 4y ago
Most people who get married the "western style", do it w/ fake priest, etc. It has no recognized religious value. Other people do it the "shinto way" or the "buddhist way".
naniwaduni 4y ago
This, too, is an artifact of viewing about religion through the lens of a tradition which is unusually (a) more concerned about having the right beliefs ("orthodoxy") than performing the right rituals ("orthopraxy"), and (b) centered around a jealous god to the exclusion of other religious practice. Without (b), there's no need for such a strong delineation between religion and general cultural practice. You perform "Shinto" rituals because that's what everyone around you has done and you're pretty sure it's worked out fine for them. You have a "Christian" wedding because that seems like the most legibly festive (and accordingly popular) marriage ritual available to you, out of a handful of distinct but all perfectly functional marriage rituals that you're pretty sure have worked fine for people around you. You conduct "Buddhist" funerals because those are the most practical funeral rituals for your setting and you're pretty sure they've worked out fine for people around you. You don't need to think very hard about the fact that these rituals come from different traditions and follow different and contradictory "theory" behind the scenes; it's just a curiosity if it comes up, but mostly it doesn't. As long as the rituals seem to work and life goes on, it doesn't really matter.

cdavid 4y ago

wedding as well. I don't have numbers, but most people who got married in Japan I know, including myself, did it.

grapeskin 4y ago

People visit Buddhist temples as social get togethers. It’s common for friends to meet up, walk through a temple, and pray. There are also very devout branches and even political parties with strong Buddhist connections. This comment chain seems to increasingly be full of people who haven’t been to Japan talking about it, and it shows.

andi999 4y ago
Because the temples have a street food and shops in front of it?