Why Do Japanese Insist on Calling Themselves Non-religious?

I heard a saying something like: "Japanese people are Shintoists when born, Christians getting married, and Buddhists when dead."

The ability to make a complicated subject understandable to the "non-expert" is one of the hallmarks of a very good teacher-OHKINI!

My japanese friends told me theyre best describe as agnostic, they dont deny the existing of gods, but they also dont deny the absense of gods. Theyre also not atheist because they somehow believe in spirits or deities in everything. They celebrate native festivities because of tradition. They celebrate foreign religious festivities like xmas for commercial purpose.

Sounds like Scandinavia to me. Alot of people say they aren't religious but celebrate most if not all religious holidays.

I have talked about this topic with my Japanese penpal. And your explanation makes it even more clear for me. So many thanks for sharing your wonderful knowledge with us. 🍻🤗

Almost 15 years ago, my uncle, who had grown up in the Philippines, a very religious Catholic Christian country, but had worked for a few years in Chiba Prefecture before moving to Canada, told me, "Japanese people are not religious, but they are very spiritual". This was before I started learning Japanese and we'll before I got a chance to spend time in Japan. Since my own religious/nonreligious identity is a big theme in my life in my family and in the US, what my uncle said back then was something I pondered for a long time, including when I went to Japan. So although you couldn't have intended it this weekend at, this well researched video was very personal, and provided me with a perspective I don't think I would have obtained for a long time. Thank you for all your hard work on this!

Armed monks... The best unit in Shogun: Total War 😎

I absolutely LOVE the way Japanese handles religion/spirituality/ritual. Some of the most moving moments of my life were experiencing the rituals of Japan at shrines and temples, including Ise Jingu. It was one of the reasons I considered moving there (from the US).

Great video Shogo! The last section that addresses the nuances of being "non-religious" in a monotheistic versus polytheistic society, gets at an idea that is critical to understand the Japanese worldview, but is something I often struggle to explain well. I will probably borrow some of these talking points!

Thank you for this thorough explanation of the belief systems in Japan. Although some channels give a superficial explanation of Shintoism and Buddhism, this is the first time I've seen it explained in such a way that makes everything make sense. It's a very well executed and informative video. ありがとうございます！😁

I think I sort of understand the first point when he said about the difference of the concept of religion in monotheistic belief vs polytheism. It's almost the same with how many people misunderstood the concept of Hinduism and (Indian) Buddhism. They are not religion in the first place, they are Dharma. There's no direct translation of Dharma, it's like law, way of living, etc that exist as an eternal wisdom, yet existence of sacred text, codified beliefs, prophets; etc are not really the point of it. Dharma is Dharma, not a religion, and it's definitely hard to mold into the western concept of "religion".

The Japanese are currently culturally spiritual and do many of those practices but see being overtly religious as a dangerous thing and avoid it. I think I got it. 🙇 Thanks for helping me get closer to an understanding.

great video. as an interesting note, here in brazil (a monotheistic-cultured country), when people say they are non-religious, it is not taken necessarily as agnoticism or atheism, but can be understood as non-confessional theism

Maybe we could regard some Japanese people as "Spiritual But Not Religious", since they just practice the religious rituals as part of customs. Spirituality does not mean being religious.

i had recently learned about Buddhism and religion in Japan, but most of what you had said here was not taught to me, this honestly shows me how much information they leave out of history lessons, thank you for making these wonderful videos, they have taught me much more about Japan than my history lessons ever could.

Wow, this was a great video, Shogo! Such a complex subject spread across the whole of Japanese history, and you presented it all succinctly, with clarity and insight. I found this very illuminating and VERY enjoyable. This is one of your videos that I will certainly re-watch. Excellent work! Thank you for the time and effort that you and your wife put into these presentations.

I actually like the longer videos, please keep making these as well.

Thank you for doing this video. I think for most Japanese this is absolutely correct. Although there are distinct minorities that anyone would consider religious, the vast majority would fall into this classification. Please note that Jodo Shu and Jodo Shinshu does not exactly have a "heaven" (tengoku), but a Pure Land (jodo). Also there are many buddhas (everyone has the ability to become a buddha). Too many people equate "Buddha" with "God".

This is one of those topics I’ve always wondered about but could never really find a solid answer for. I could’ve asked when I visited Japan, but it felt like one of those things I shouldn’t bring up. Thank you for this video! Very well done.

Very well explained Shogo! Before I watched your video, the religious situation in Japan was confusing to me, but now I think I have gained a good understanding of the topic, thank you! ありがとうございます！