ABSTRACT
Religion in Japan takes on a different form from religion in Western Europe, Canada, and the United States, When a Japanese is asked his religion he may, for the sake of simplicity, follow the scheme of Western classification and answer ‘Buddhism’. In reality, however, his religion defies such a classification. He goes to a Buddhist temple only for a close relative’s funeral or for his own, since most Japanese graveyards are under the supervision of Buddhist temples. Aside from this, the creed of the particular sect of Buddhism to which the individual’s family belongs seldom crosses his mind. In Western books on religion, Buddhism and Shinto are classified separately as different religions, but the distinction is seldom made by the Japanese. The ‘two’ religions are mingled in the Japanese mind, and to this synthesis other religions are added and assimilated. Christmas, for example, is a familiar ritual in urban Japan, and commercial advertising, with the aim of increasing department store sales, has spread the custom throughout the country and made it part of the popular environment, one in the cycle of seasonal festivals. In celebrating Christmas, the Japanese become Christian for one day of the year, not merely exchanging presents and drinking, but learning Christian legends and rituals and developing an understanding of the Christian way of life.
