136-Article Text-295-2-10-20221201

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Religion in a Japanese Cultural Perspective

Agama dalam Perspektif Budaya Jepang
Fatonah Nurdin
Program Studi lmu Sejarah, Fakultas Ilmu Budaya, Universitas Jambi
Email: fatonah.nurdin@unja.ac.id
Abstrak: Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kualitatif metode deskriptif dengan pendekatan
fenomenologis dan studi kepustakaan. Perspektif fenomenologis dalam penelitian
dipergunakan untuk menggambarkan fenomena religi/agama menurut pandangan orang
Jepang, melihat dan menggambarkan lebih jauh perilaku, motivasi, tindakan yang dilakukan
oleh mahasiwa Jepang dalam memaknai agama dalam persfektif budaya. Penelitian ini juga
bertujuan untuk memahami karakteristik bangsa Jepang dalam memaknai agama dan
budaya. Fokus dari penelitian ini adalah pemahaman tentang pandangan hidup masyarakat
Jepang dalam memaknai agama dan budaya. Hasil penelitian ini memperlihatkan bahwa
sesungguhnya agama di Jepang dipahami dan dihayati dengan ringan dan tidak mengikat.
berbagai aktivitas beragama di Jepang bersandar pada ide genze riyaku. Baik itu Budha atau
pun Shinto. Jika dilihat dalam kehidupannya, orang Jepang bisa melakukan beberapa ritual
agama sekaligus namun tidak sedikit pula orang Jepang yang tidak mempercayai keberadaan
Tuhan dengan kata lain tidak memiliki pegangan agama apapun dalam keseharian mereka.
Meskipun banyak orang menilai bahwa bagi orang Jepang, agama itu tidak begitu penting.
Namun ada juga pendapat lain yang melihat bahwa orang Jepang sangat mencintai agama
dan kepercayaannya, maka tak heran, di Tokyo, ada begitu banyak kuil-kuil yang dibangun
sejak ratusan tahun lalu. Dapat disimpulkan, Agama di Jepang dipahami dan dihayati dengan
ringan, tanpa mengikat. Hal tersebut dikarenakan sikap mereka yang santai dalam
memanifestasikan agama atau kerpercayaan. Agama di Jepang tidak terlepas dari budaya
dan agama bukan menjadi hal utama dalam kehidupan mereka namun dalam praktek sehari-
hari kehidupan mereka tidak terlepas dari religi/agama yang telah melekat dalam budaya.
Mereka tetap membawa agama dalam kehidupan sehari-hari dalam bentuk simbol-simbol
budaya.
Kata Kata Kunci: agama, budaya, Jepang
Abstract: This research was a qualitative research with descriptive phenomenological

approaches and library study. Phenomenological perspective in this research was used to
describe religious phenomena in the Japanese society perspective and to see further about
the behavior, motivation, actions that is done by Japanese students in interpreting religion
in a cultural perspective. This study also aimed to understand the characteristics of the
Japanese society in interpreting religion and culture. The focus of this research was an
understanding of Japanese society way of life in interpreting religion and culture. The
results of this study showed that the true religion in Japan was understood and lived with
lightly, not binding. Almost all religious activities in Japan rely on the idea of genze riyaku.
It doesn't matter Buddha or Shinto. It is not different than treating other dimensions of
material life. "If it is seen in their life, Japanese society can perform several religious rituals
at once but not a few Japanese society who do not believe in the existence of God, it means
that some of society who does not have any religious grip in their daily lives. Although many
people consider that for Japanese society, religion is not so important. But there are also
other opinions that see that the Japanese society really love their religion and beliefs, so it's
no wonder, in Tokyo, there are so many temples that were built since hundreds of years ago.
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Fatonah: Religion in a Japanese Cultural Perspective
It can be concluded that religion in Japan is understood and lived with lightly, without
binding. That is caused of their relaxed attitude in manifesting religion or beliefs. Religion
in Japan is inseparable from culture and religion is not the main thing in their lives but in
daily practice their lives are inseparable from the religions that have been inherent in
culture. They keep bringing religion into their daily lives in the form of cultural symbols.
Keywords: religion, culture, Japan
INTRODUCTION
The not always the same picture of God must be closely related to the limited
abilities and differences in human comprehension to know Him. The differences in
these descriptions and understandings are related to differences in various human
backgrounds, such as differences in times, geography, customs, culture, education,
language and all kinds of other differences.
What about Japanese people in general? God for some ordinary people may
not be defined, because its scope is unlimited, its depth is unpredictable, so it will be
difficult to define in detail what else for Japanese people who understand and
interpret religion lightly, lightly, casually, and some even consider it unimportant
like treat other material life.
To see religion in the cultural perspective of Japanese society, it is necessary
to see and understand the culture of Japanese society. How can we see the
implementation of the relationship between religion and culture in the daily life of
Japanese society. Japanese society is very well known as a society that really
appreciates and maintains the cultural heritage of their ancestors well until now.
Even though Japanese society is very modern, they are very strong in holding
traditions and culture.
Definition of Religion and Belief

The definition of religion in the Big Indonesian Dictionary (2007: 15) is a
system or principle of belief in God or also called the name Dewa or other names
with the teachings of devotion and obligations related to that belief.
The word "religion" comes from Sanskrit which means "tradition" while another
word to express this concept is religion which comes from Latin and comes from the
verb "re-ligare" which means "to tie again". That is, by being religious, a person
binds himself to God.
In particular, the meaning of the word Religion in the New Edition of the Big
Indonesian Dictionary (2007: 713), namely, belief in the existence of supernatural
powers above humans, such as belief in animism, dynamism and so on. It's the same
with the notion of religion.
As stated above, the term religion which comes from Sanskrit, has an
understanding regarding the existence of human beliefs based on revelation from
God. There are various theories about the history of this word. One of them explains
that the root of the word religion comes from gam, gets the prefix A and ends with
A, becomes a-gam-a. Some of these roots have the prefix I with the same ending
(become I-gam-a) and some have the prefix U with the same ending (become U-gam-
a). Sanskrit belongs to the Indo-Germanic family. In Dutch and English, members of
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the family, we find the words ga, gaan (Dutch) and go (English) which have the same
meaning as gam, namely go. After getting the prefix and suffix A, the meaning
changes to a way. The definition of the way according to Gazalba is found as an
essential characteristic in many religions. Taoism and Shinto mean way. Buddhism
calls the main law the way. Jesus told his followers to follow his way. Shari'at, tariqat
and sirath in Islamic teachings also mean the way.
Meanwhile, in a linguistic sense, the word religion consists of the syllables a-
gam-a, the word a means not, the word gam means going or walking, while the
ending a is a strengthening characteristic in the form of eternity. Thus, the term
religion or religion means not going or not walking alias remains (eternal, internal),
so that the word religion or religion contains the meaning as a guide, a guide for
human life that is eternal and eternal in nature in the world because it contains
prohibitions. and obligations that must be obeyed by everyone as adherents of that
religion or belief (Shadly, 1980: 105).
According to the Sunarigama book, the term religion comes from the word a-
ga-ma, the word a means awang-awang (empty or empty), the word ga means genah
(Balinese: place or container), the word ma means the sun (bright, shining). In this
case it means that the ambek (teachings in Javanese) of the religion can describe
procedures that are mysterious and unique, because God himself is a secret
(Sumaryanto, 2001: 47).
It is different with religion which comes from Sanskrit, the word belief or
religion comes from the foreign language religie or godsdienst (Dutch), religion
(English). In the opinion of Sidi Gazalba (1962: 18) that the etymology of religion or
belief comes from the term relilegere or religare in Latin (ancient Greek). Relegere
means prudence or basic understanding (grondbergrip), namely by sticking to the
basic rules that are determined. According to the opinion of the ancient Romans that
religion means that people must be careful about something that is considered holy
(holy), taboo or muharam. Meanwhile, the term regilare means to bind, which is a
form of human attachment to something extraordinarily powerful, especially to the
power of the supernatural.
Meanwhile, the theory of religion and belief was first put forward by Tylor
(1873) with the premise that; the origin of the emergence of a religion namely
human belief about the existence of a soul or atma that forms life in this world. This
understanding has encouraged humans to understand events that happen to
themselves, namely; the occurrence of dream events experienced and death events
that will apply to each individual.
The theory of the origin of a religion and belief was also put forward by
Marett (1909) as quoted by Sumaryanto (2001) stating that; the main starting point
or starting point of human religious behavior is not belief in spirits (souls), but arises
because of feelings of inferiority towards various symptoms of events experienced
by humans in their lives. This theory of religious origin is often called pre-animism
or theory before the existence of belief in spirits or (souls).
In contrast to Tylor, the theory of the origin of religion and belief according
to Schmidt (1921) is monotheism, the belief in the existence of God, actually not a
new discovery, but an old form of belief. This opinion is actually the opinion of an
expert on English literature namely Lang, who concocted various results of folk
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literature from various nations in the world in the form of fairy tales and described
the existence of a single God. In various ethnic groups in the world there is already
a belief in the existence of one god who is considered the Supreme God who can
create the universe and everything in it and protect it. Therefore, belief or religion
is considered as a vehicle to maintain the balance of the universe.
Meanwhile, Frazer's theory (1890), regarding the origin of religion and belief
in Koentjaraningrat (1980: 53), states that the emergence of religion lies in man
himself. Humans basically want to solve various problems and mysteries that occur
in life by using the knowledge system they have. Basically, the human mind is very
limited and depends on the culture one adheres to, meaning that the lower the
culture one has, the smaller and limited the ability of their minds and knowledge
regarding understanding religion and beliefs.
Frazer further stated that the impact of the inability of humans to be able to
use their minds and minds in solving these problems, so that magic is used which in
Greek is called Mangeia or witchcraft. The notion of magic is a living response from
various societies, since ancient times and now. According to Frazer, at first humans
only used magic to be able to overcome problems that were beyond the limits of
their intellect. If it turns out that efforts to overcome problems with magic are
unsuccessful, they will begin to believe that the universe is inhabited by spirits,
spirits who are more powerful than humans. So humans began to look for a
relationship with these spirits, by looking for the causes and effects of their
occurrence as one of the phenomena, symptoms of natural events which are called
religion or belief. Humans estimate that, by using incantations, amulets, incantations
and ritual ceremonies that are carried out to be able to influence the natural
surroundings. One way that is used, although not common or commonly practiced
is; slaughtering animals such as buffaloes, chickens, is considered to affect all
creatures, both animate and inanimate.
In line with the statement above, Japanese society is not too strict in matters
of religion, even though Japan is a modern and advanced nation in various fields, but
in religion or belief, their attitudes and views have diversity, from several literatures
and the results of interviews with researchers with several the Japanese and
Indonesians who had contact with or were close to the Japanese, found that, in fact,
religion in Japan was understood and lived lightly. Almost all religious activity in
Japan rests on the idea of genze riyaku. It doesn't matter Buddhist or Shinto. Genze
riyaku is the practice of religion, worship, prayer which is more aimed at worldly
gain. As stated by Atniga Tayadih, “Religion in Japan is understood and lived lightly.
Lightly. Relax. It is no different from treating any other dimension of material life.”
Even though in their lives Japanese people can perform several religious rituals at
once, there are not a few Japanese people who do not believe in the existence of God,
alias do not have any religious beliefs in their daily lives. This is due to their relaxed
attitude in manifesting religion or belief based on the idea of Genze Riyaku.
History of the Japanese Nation in General

Before stepping into the discussion of religion in a cultural perspective
on Japanese society, the author will first provide an overview of the historical
background of the Japanese nation in general. This description covers the
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origin of the entry of foreign civilizations that brought various beliefs and
religions, which influenced the Japanese nation, to the entry of the teachings
of Animism, Confucianism, Buddhism, Shinto, Christianity, Catholicism, Islam,
Tenri and others, which then made amulets or omamori part of religion and
belief in Japanese culture.
In Japanese history, the Japanese archipelago was first inhabited more
than 10,000 years ago, when it was still united with the Asian continent's
mainland mass. Around 300 BC from the plains of Asia entered agriculture,
especially cultivation and metal management techniques. At that time,
Japanese people recognized swords and mirrors made of bronze for religious
ceremonies. This period in the Japanese year is called the Yayoi period (300
BC – 300 AD).
In the period from the 4th to 6th centuries there was a major
development in agriculture, which was followed by the entry of Chinese
culture including Confucianism and Buddhism through Korea and India in
538. In that year according to historical records in Beasley (2003) : 50), the
king of Paekche sent Buddhist monks to Japan with Buddha statues and
several sacred scriptures of sutras, to persuade the Japanese to embrace
Buddhism.
In 794, a new capital was built at Kyoto, modeled after the Chinese
capital of that era. This city remained a seat of thrones for almost a thousand
years. The move of the capital to Kyoto marked the beginning of the Heian
period which lasted until 1192. The Heian period was a heyday for the
development of art in Japan. The Chinese government system by the Japanese
rulers was used as a pattern to create their own system. Relations with China
were severed towards the end of the ninth century, and Japanese civilization
began to create its own distinct and specific features and forms.
Having established himself as the effective ruler of all of Japan, in 1603
Ieyasu established the shogunate in Edo, which became known as Tokyo. This
was a major turning point in Japanese history. During the Muromachi period
in 1549, the first Westerners to land in Japan were Portuguese traders who
introduced firearms. Then followed by the arrival of Jesuit missionaries, led
by Saint Franciscus Xavier, then several groups of Spaniards, traders from the
Netherlands and England also settled in Japanese soil.
The arrival of Europeans according to The International Society for
Educational Information (1989: 10), had a major influence on the Japanese
nation. The missionaries attracted large crowds, especially in Southern Japan.
The shogunate realized that Christianity had as much potential as the power
of the firearm that came with it. So eventually Christianity was banned, and as
a vehicle for preserving the integration of the social and political structure a
drastic measure, namely completely closing Japan's doors from the outside
world.
Then around the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th
century, Japan was under pressure due to the progress of the times so that the
government (Shogun) again opened its shores to the outside world. As a result
of the opening of the coast of Japan to the outside world, in 1853, Commodore
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Matthew C. Perry from the United States entered Tokyo Bay with the strength
of a squadron, as many as four ships to persuade Japan to conclude a
friendship treaty with the US. This agreement is named the Shimoda
agreement. Due to the success of the US, several other countries followed,
including Russia, Britain, the Netherlands and France which succeeded in
making trade and friendship agreements.
Through this process of assimilation and adaptation, everything to that
which comes in from outside gradually takes on the true Japanese style. Among the
characteristics in this regard are the development of Japanese characters during the
Heian period and religious rituals. The complexity of Chinese writing with its kanji
made the Japanese simplify it by making hiragana and katakana letters. Hiragana is
used for words that are native to Japan and katakana for borrowed words from
foreign languages, for example bus and taxi in English. In Japanese, the
pronunciation becomes basu ( バス ) and takusi ( タクシー ) and is written in
katakana letters. In addition to hiragana and katakana, the Japanese still use kanji.
There are two ways to read kanji. Hatsu on (pronunciation) is taken from a Chinese
reading method called on yomi and a Japanese reading method called kun yomi. In
Japanese, one sentence can use all three types of letters at once (hiragana, katakana,
kanji) and not infrequently it can also be four letters if there are words written in
romanji letters (Latin letters).
However, the agreement between the Shogun and the United States led to the
emergence of factions that disagreed. They opposed the opening of Japan and
opposed the politics of the Shogun. Opponents wanted Japan to remain closed to
foreign influence. These opponents gave rise to the anti-Shogunate movement led
by the Daimyo (military governors). Basically, in Japan there are two government
powers, namely the Shogun government based in Edo and the Emperor government
(Tenno) based in Kyoto. The emperor's influence grew bigger and stronger because
the emperor rejected the Shimoda agreement.
In 1867, Emperor Komei who led at that time died. His 14-year-old son,
prince Matsuhito, was crowned as his successor and given the title Tenno Meiji. With
the enthronement of the Tenno Meiji, the movement to return power to the
emperor's hands became stronger. Finally, on November 8, 1867, Shogun Yoshinobu
resigned and handed over power to the Meiji emperor (Tenno Meiji) and began a
new era for the Japanese nation. This event is known as the Meiji Restoration. The
restoration contained elements of development and renewal led by Tenno Meiji. The
implementation of state government is led by the emperor and assisted by the
people for the interests and welfare of the people.
The Meiji Period (1868-1912) is one of the most special periods in the history
of nations. Under the leadership of the Meiji emperor, Japan moved forward so that
in just a few decades it achieved what it took centuries in the West, namely the
formation of a modern nation that had modern industry, modern political
institutions, and a modern pattern of society.
In the first years of his reign, the Meiji emperor moved the imperial capital
from Kyoto to Edo, the seat of the feudal government. Edo was given a new name,
Tokyo, which means "eastern capital". A constitution was promulgated which
established a cabinet and legislative bodies consisting of two councils. The old
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classes which during the feudal period divided society were abolished. The whole
country plunged with zeal and enthusiasm into the study and acquisition of modern
Western civilization.
Tenno Meiji carried out reforms in all areas of people's lives with the aim of
catching up with Western nations. The changes, among others, as follows;
First, in the field of politics and government, the government system imitates
the Western government system and eliminates the feudal system of government.
Second, changes in the economic field. Japan, which at that time was based
on an agrarian economy, was transformed into an industrial economy so that the
feudal economy collapsed and was replaced by a modern capitalist economy. Efforts
made in order to accelerate economic progress is to regain control of the national
economy. Among the methods taken were sending youths to study economics,
bringing in economic advisers, widely opening economic relations with Western
countries, and setting up factories.
Third, changes in the field of education. During the Shogunate era, the
education system in Japan was run in a closed system. Only the Shogun class had
educational opportunities, while the people were limited to being able to read and
write. Emperor Meiji considered that education played a role in the progress of the
nation and state because education could be used to achieve strong national unity
and train people to be loyal to the state and the emperor. Technical knowledge and
national defense are also obtained through education. According to the Meiji
emperor, educational goals would be achieved by using Shinto and Buddhist
teachings as the basis for his moral teachings.
Fourth, changes in the military field. In this area, improvements were
madeIsi perjanjian yang dipaksakan Amerika Serikat untuk ditandatangani oleh
Jepang pada 2 September 1945, adalah sebagai berikut;
1). The Japanese Islands were occupied by the United States (until 1952).
2). The South Kurilen and Sachalin Islands were ceded to Russia. Manchuria
and Taiwan ceded to China. The Japanese islands in the Pacific were ceded to the
United States. Korea would be freed, but temporarily divided in two, the north of the
38th latitude going to Russia and the south going to the United States.
3.). War criminals must be punished.
4.). Japan must pay for war losses.
The President of the United States, Harry Truman at that time, thought that
if America did not drop the atomic bomb on Japan, as a result, more American
soldiers would become victims. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki shocked
Japan so much that Japan surrendered unconditionally and was willing to accept any
kind of peace agreement imposed by America. In a very short time, American troops
landed and occupied Japan until 1952.
After losing in World War II to America, Japan reorganized the country and
its government, trying to get up and start a new chapter, open up to the outside
world, learn more from advanced nations, especially Europeans and Americans.
Since the 16th century, the arrival of Europeans had a big influence on Japan.
Followed by the influence of the United States which dominated Japan after the end
of World War II. Japan has also developed an original and unique culture.
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The uniqueness of the Japanese nation, apart from being seen in the
characters, is also seen in religious rituals. In terms of religion they also have
diversity, from several literatures and the results of the author's interviews with
several Japanese and Indonesians who have had contact with or are close to the
Japanese, there are several unique phenomena from Japanese people who in their
lives can practice several religions at once , for example at the time of birth they use
Shinto religious rituals, while at marriage, they usually use Shinto or Christian
religious ritual processions, and during the Japanese New Year they visit Jinja
(Shinto religious shrine) or otera/tera (Buddhist shrine). , what's more unique is
that during the New Year and Christmas they also celebrate it for fun. But for matters
of death they use Buddhist processions. As stated by Sumiko (40)
"In Japan, if you want to get married, you can carry out any religious ritual
procession, and you can celebrate all celebrations of any religion. Generally, when
we get married we use a Shinto ceremonial procession, but some use Christian
procedures. It's up to you, you are free to use whatever culture you want. However,
for funeral/death processions, it is mandatory to use Buddhist procedures because
there are no other religious procedures that are commonly performed or known,
except for Buddhist procedures."
Indeed, religion in Japan is understood and lived lightly. As stated by Atniga
Tayadih, “Religion in Japan is understood and lived lightly. Lightly. Relax. It is no
different from treating any other dimension of material life.” Even though in their
lives Japanese people can perform several religious rituals at once, there are not a
few Japanese people who do not believe in the existence of God, alias do not have
any religious beliefs in their daily lives.
From some of the opinions mentioned above, it can be seen that religion in
Japan is considered light, easy and relaxed, just like treating other material things.
Definition of God According to the Japanese

When the definition of God is asked, it will be difficult to describe. Because in
plain view God is abstract, transcendent. Since God or Allah is an unseen reality, a
reality that transcends the reach of human senses, in the end humans have various
images and understandings of Him.
Regarding the human relationship with God, (in Gea, 2006: 2) there are two
things that are very closely related but should not be equated. Those two things are
“faith” and “religion”. Both are related to the human relationship with God. However,
the relationship between the two is not an inevitability, so having one automatically
owns the other. Religious people are not necessarily believers, and people who have
faith do not have to be explicitly religious. But the best thing is that we are religious
and at the same time have faith.
How the Japanese define God can be seen in my thesis research on "the use
of amulets as religious symbols by Japanese students." I summarize some of their
opinions in the following article.
In general, when Japanese people are asked about religion, they will feel
confused to answer, especially when asked about the definition of religion or God.
Several informants in this study could not define God. Sumiko (40), Mikako (22), and
Yuki (22) answered "confused and do not understand". Sumiko further stated that:
27
"Definition of God? They say all humans are children of God, right? I don't
understand God because God doesn't exist, you can't see it, but you can believe in
the spirits of your ancestors because you can see them, you can see trees, the sun
and water.”
Meanwhile, according to Mai (20) God cannot be defined because:
“God cannot be defined because there are many Gods (Gods. translator) like
the wind, the sun and the spirits of people who pass away there are many. So there
is a good God and a bad God. People who were good during their lives will become
good Gods while bad people will also become gods but Gods of a low level.”
When the definition of God was asked to Koji (41), he answered:
“I think God is not in the real world. God exists in the world of fantasy or
human imagination.”
In contrast to Sumiko, Mikako, Yuki and Koji, Kae (23) who firmly claims to
be a Catholic, firmly believes in the existence and role of the Lord Jesus in her life.
“I am a Catholic from the third grade of elementary school. When I was little
my grandfather told me that if we are bad, not good then we will go to hell in the
next life after we die, I didn't like the idea of hell. I'm afraid of hell. My French
Catholic neighbor introduced me to the Catholic religion. So I followed their religion.
Now I believe in the Lord Jesus who is the savior. I believe in the role of Jesus in my
life and believe in his existence as a protector and helper in my life. So God is our
helper, who is our savior, that is the definition in my opinion. ”
Meanwhile, when the definition of God was asked to Arisa (20) who has
Indonesian blood from her father. Admittedly did not really understand the
definition of God or religion. Because he had only really learned about Islam while
living in Bandung, as he told;
“Difficult question, am I Muslim or Muslim. But while living in Japan, I never
performed Islamic religious rituals/worships. I just learned about prayer and about
Islam when I lived in Bandung, studying with my aunt and her family. So I don't
really understand religion or God, let alone the definition of God. I don't really
understand it, and it's very difficult to understand it. It's very difficult to explain
about God. Because sometimes I am also not so sure about God. ”
In general, they don't understand 'definition', but they really don't
understand 'God's definition' or 'God' himself, and they also don't want to know, are
not really interested in it, as Sumiko and Marutani expressed;
“……neither know about God nor about the definition of God. Because
Japanese people generally don't think about it as much or understand it as I do.”
"Japanese people in general are not very interested or concerned about
religious matters, I personally am not very interested in religion, because it is not
interesting to know about religion, not very interested, shuukyou mondai wa amari
kanshin nai desu (religious matters are not very interested.) and I do not understand
about the definition of God. Didn't really think about it."
Because God is visibly invisible and abstract, many of them do not believe in
God, they even think that they half believe half don't and don't consider it important.
Japanese Thoughts About God and Religion
28
Research by several psychologists on the relationship between spirituality

and religion proves a paradoxical conclusion. Many people who are not religious,
have very high spiritual qualities, have more religious experiences outside the
boundaries of the mainstream of religion than people who claim to be religious,
including a maestro in philosophy, logic and mathematics from England named
Bertrand Russell (1872). -1970), until his 90s, he persistently voiced freedom of
thought and nuclear disarmament (Faz, 67). Not a few people carry out spiritual
enlightenment practices, but do not know the religion that is the basis of it;
Organized religion, no! Spirituality, yes!. Faz (2007) concluded that the actual
meaning of spirituality and religion – as well as other terms – is not clear.
The recent discovery of the "God spot" in the temporal lobe of the brain is
considered to provide a strong foundation that humans naturally know God.
Therefore, we cannot be atheists. It's possible that we don't have a formal religion,
but it's impossible for us to lose our spirituality. As Jung put it, "there is no one
whose problem lies not in a last-ditch effort to find a religious vision in his life."
Meanwhile, the Japanese people's thoughts about God will be seen like Mulyana's
(2004: 41-42) experience with some of her intercultural friends in the book
"Effective Communication", she recounts as follows:
Japanese young people's perception of religion….
"What is your own religion, Mamie?" I asked Mayumi who is often called Mamie.
"Maybe Buddha."
"Why, how come?"
“My parents claim to be Buddhists.”
"Then, your own religion?"
“Well, maybe I am not a religious person. I've never performed any religious
ceremony."
I divert the question to Kyoko.
"You believe God exists, Kyoko?"
"No," said the employee of a bank who lives in Shinjuku.
Like Mayumi and Kyoto, Noriko seems to have the same principle that she doesn't
even believe that God Almighty exists.
From the illustration presented by Mulyana above, it can be seen that three
of her Japanese friends do not believe in the existence of God. In line with Sumiko's
statement (40) that:
“Generally in Japan people don't think it's important what one's religion and beliefs
are. Nobody or almost no one asks about a person's religion and beliefs or about the
definition of God. Because Japanese people generally don't think about it as
important or understand about it as I do and it's only in Indonesia that I get asked a
lot about this. Japanese people don't like religion in my opinion because religion is
made by humans. God is not there, invisible. I don't have a religion, I believe in
individual beliefs, if I have a problem I usually talk to friends and go to temples just
for sightseeing."
While Ota Takashi Sensei was visiting the researcher's place when he saw
some calligraphy reading, 'Allah,' 'Muhammad,' 'Bismilahirrahmanirrahim,' and
'Laillahaillallah Muhammad Rasulullah' in bald Arabic letters he could read it, the
29
researcher was surprised, as long as he had known him from 1997 but only then did
researchers know that he could read Arabic calligraphy. When asked what religion?
He looked confused to answer the question,
"Hmmm….etto..jitsu wa nai yoo."(hmm..actually nothing).
The researcher was even more surprised, “nai?!..doudesuka.”(nothing, how
come?!)
Then he said “etto…kokoni, boku wa bukyou ne. Bukyou wo kaitta, Indonesia no
mibun shoumeisho wo tsukutta toki.” (here, I am Buddhist, because in Indonesia
they make KITAS, write down Buddhism).
Researchers thought he was Muslim at the time, but in fact he had only ever
learned Persian, so he could read Arabic letters. Then he told me that in Japan people
can perform three religious rituals at once. In his family no one performs worship
rituals every day, they only use Shinto religious rituals for wedding ceremonies
(kekkon shiki), and Buddhist ceremonies when they die (shinu toki), and celebrate
Christmas every year but that doesn't mean they are Christians. .
In contrast to Ota Takasi Sensei, Marutani Sensei stated that he is a Buddhist,
but when asked whether he was diligent in performing his religious rituals he
answered: "no." even though he claims to be Buddhist, when asked how Japanese
society in general and he personally views religion. Marutani argued that,
"Japanese people in general are not very interested or concerned about religious
matters, I personally am not very interested in religion, because it is not interesting
to know about religion, not very interested, shuukyou mondai wa amari kanshin nai
desu (religious matters are not very interested.) ”
Although many people think that for Japanese people religion is not that
important. But there are also other opinions that see that the Japanese really love
their religion and beliefs, so it's no wonder, in Tokyo, there are so many temples that
were built hundreds of years ago. Sensoji Temple in Asakusa for example, built in
645AD, is a temple that is always crowded with visitors. When this was confirmed
with the informant, they replied that in general, visitors who come to the temple
actually aim to travel and buy souvenirs such as omamori (amulets) to manneki
neko which are very famous and are believed to be able to invite money and guests.
As Sumiko puts it:
“ Generally Japanese people go to shrines mainly for sightseeing or just stopping by
to buy omamori...”
The same thing was also stated by Yuki and Mikako:
“usually go to the shrine just to tour and buy omamori”
"Yes, it's true I go to the shrine just to buy omamori or enjoy the view. A trip to the
shrine...”
Unlike Sumiko, Yuki and Mikako, Koji goes to jinja/tera only as small talk. As he puts
it:
“I rarely go to tera/jinja (temple). At least it's just the new year, and that's just
pleasantries. Join us for worship."
With a historical background supported by the beautiful natural beauty and
openness of the temples, the existence of old temples there has become a tourist
destination that attracts many domestic and international tourists with various
purposes. As Arisa put it:
30
“Even though I am a Muslim I have been to the shrine several times, not to buy
omamori but just to travel with friends.”
Even though Japanese people don't care about religion, there are many
historical temples that have been preserved until now, showing that Japanese
people really value history and religion.
Regardless of whether they go to the temple just for fun, buy amulets or
worship. Japanese people really appreciate culture, and historical heritage including
temples and Buddhist statues and their natural surroundings. So that religion in the
perspective of Japanese society is generally inseparable from tradition and culture.
CONCLUSSION
To see religion in the cultural perspective of Japanese society, it is necessary
to see and understand the culture of Japanese society. How the implementation of
the relationship between religion and culture can be seen in the daily life of Japanese
society. Japanese society is very well known as a society that really appreciates and
maintains the cultural heritage of their ancestors well until now. Even though
Japanese society is very modern, they are very strong in holding traditions and
culture.
Religion in Japan is understood and lived lightly, without binding. This is due
to their relaxed attitude in manifesting religion or beliefs based on the idea of Genze
Riyaku. Religion in Japan is inseparable from culture. Although many people think
that for Japanese people religion is not that important. But there are also other
opinions that see that the Japanese really love their religion and beliefs, so it's no
wonder, in Tokyo, there are so many temples that were built hundreds of years ago.
It can be concluded that religion is not the main thing in their lives but in daily
practice their lives cannot be separated from religion/religion which is inherent in
culture. They still carry religion in their daily lives in the form of cultural symbols.
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The Cross Culture, and Challenge of Sustanability E-ISSN XXXX-XXXX

Religion in a Japanese Cultural Perspective

Kata Kata Kunci: agama, budaya, Jepang

Abstract: This research was a qualitative research with descriptive phenomenological

Keywords: religion, culture, Japan

Definition of Religion and Belief

History of the Japanese Nation in General

Definition of God According to the Japanese

Japanese Thoughts About God and Religion

Research by several psychologists on the relationship between spirituality

TESIS, MAJALAH, INTERNET DAN TERBITAN LAINNYA:

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