ABSTRACT
It is not uncommon to hear that Japanese are not religious and that religion no longer exists in Japan. When discussed along Western conceptional lines, where religion is defined as a beliefframed system wherein one tradition stands in sharp opposition to another, this assessment may have some merit. However, it inappropriately frames the issue, speaking neither to the Japanese worldview nor to behaviors stemming from it. Rather, the comfort level with which the Japanese speak in a collective voice itself reflects a Japanese worldview that is at the same time syncretic and nationalistic, and implies an attitude toward religion or, more rightly, religiosity, that is better expressed in actions that are consciously and unconsciously interwoven with the social, cultural, political, and personal fabric of the Japa-nese. Framed within the Japanese context, the question then becomes how the religious dimension, which works in tandem with the social dimension, is expressed in terms of actions and feelings.
