Most people in modern Japan aren’t seriously religious (auch wenn sie manche Feier ekstatisch begleiten können https://t1p.de/mxcn) and Christians are by no means of any importance. Even Japan is member of and respected by global Western Society and despite they’ve copied some of the Christian Rituals – don’t forget, they once tried to annihilate all of Christian missionaries and believers (Zur singulären Entwicklung Japans sollte auch die rücksichtslose, blutige Christenverfolgung im 17. Jahrhundert und die nahezu völlige Abschließung des Landes nach außen hin über mehr als 200 Jahre (鎖国 Sakoku, 1638 – 1853) erwähnt werden, als nur wenigen chinesischen und holländischen Händlern und Emissären der Kontakt zum Hofe des Shogunats in Edo erlaubt war. https://japoneseliberty.com/2018/06/06/japanolog/). Inzwischen aber entwickelte und etablierte sich selbst hier im modernen Japan, wo religiöse Reglen kaum wichtig sind, ein eigener Monotheismus, der als Kult gilt – Tenrikyō 天理教
Here and there you can find a church in different building styles, Catholic but also Presbytarians and other, from shabby old houses to gorgeous modern cathedrals, but it’s not such a big deal since Christians are very rare, maybe 1-2% of all Japanese and in total surely not more than 1.5 Million. So what’s the interest at all? Not much actually in Japan, some Christians here became very happy to see Pope (Francis) once in their life time, some bad mouth talking and gossip when Francis said he likes Japan (well that’s what he is telling every time he comes to a new place). What else? Oh, he spoke to the clergy, blessed a baby and prayed for the dead and he met Tenno – which is most interesting, since these two dignitaries symbolize in their very person oldest secular and religious powers on earth.
And more? Yes, mostly merchandise and new shopping events with kitchy christian goods – like on every Easter or X-Mas (I hear the famous melodies already whenever I come into any shop nowadays 😉 ).
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20191125_20/
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