Modern Japanese religions from the perspective of "civilization studies"

Once one’s ways of thinking and conceptualizing are set, however, it is not a simple task to shift to thinking in terms of a different model. Even with the addition or exchange of certain parts, conceptual transformation is not easy. This is true for those who have been trained in “culture studies:” their changeover to civilization studies is very difficult. As such, this chapter can be considered no more than an attempt to apply a civilization studies approach. I will focus on modern Japanese religion, beginning with two micro-level examples and then moving on to consider macro-level problems.