Neocities allows anyone to create a free web site to express themselves. Want to create your own awesome site? Join us!
yagara
1 month ago
In Japan, the majority of people identify as non-religious. Some may say they follow Buddhism, but it's often more of a cultural practice or set of values than what many people overseas would consider a “religion.” In that sense, people who actively belong to a specific religious group are relatively rare in Japan.
yagara
1 month ago
as someone who may travel abroad again, I’d like to understand how religion is viewed in different cultures, just to be prepared. It might be an unusual question, but I’d really appreciate your insights.
pinkytelephone
1 month ago
From the USA- there are a large amount of atheists here, but likewise there's a lot of religious people, mainly Christians. The tolerance level they have for eachother depends a lot. From my personal experience, most atheists don't mind religious people, but many Christians consider being atheist blaphamus and dislike them. though again, this can vary a lot.
pinkytelephone
1 month ago
though a lot of non-religious people do still celebrate Christian holidays. Christmas and Easter are probably the best examples. Christian imagery like angels and devils also often appear in pop culture outside of Christian circles.
d-w-o-o-w-b
1 month ago
In Romania, 85% of the country is Christian. I do see hardcore Christians call atheists, agnostics, and those who are not associated with religious organizations as heretics/blasphemers. Non-religious folk seem to not care about religion.
yagara
1 month ago
Thank you for your reply. When speaking with a Christian, which would be considered a more acceptable answer: saying “I’m a Buddhist (a follower of another religion)” or “I’m an atheist”?
yagara
1 month ago
Also, what do you think about non-Christians or atheists visiting famous Christian churches or cathedrals? I’d be grateful to hear your personal thoughts as well, if you don’t mind sharing. (Since this is a slightly difficult topic, I’m using a translation tool.)
d-w-o-o-w-b
1 month ago
Hey yagara, If you are asked, then just be sincere on whether or not you are Christian. If you notice that they are a "hardcore" Christian, then tell them respectfully and politely that you're simply curious in Christianity.
palmistshouse
1 month ago
I’ve always wondered the opposite question. I know that most Japanese people aren’t very religious, but I have a few Japanese friends who are Christian. How are religious people treated in Japan?
yagara
1 month ago
Okay! Thank you sincerely for your thoughtful response!!:D it was truly enlightening.
yagara
1 month ago
>To Angelina¦ To be honest, this is just my personal impression, but I feel that many Japanese people instinctively react with caution when they hear the word “religion.” They may not show it outwardly, but there’s often a subtle unease—or even concern—especially if someone they know is involved in a religious group.
yagara
1 month ago
This reaction is shaped by Japan’s history with religion-related incidents. For example, there was a large-scale terrorist attack carried out by a cult, and more recently, a shocking case where a former prime minister was assassinated—partly due to religious ties. Japan is a country with strict gun control, so the fact that the perpetrator built a homemade gun made the incident even more disturbing.
yagara
1 month ago
There are also stories of people losing their entire fortunes, or even their lives, because of religious involvement.
palmistshouse
1 month ago
Thank you for replying to my question, the culture in Japan surrounding religion seems very different than how it is in America. Like other people pointed out, it’s normal to be religious but odd to be an atheist or even agnostic (someone who believes in a god but does not follow religion).
yagara
1 month ago
(I didn’t know you could only post 10 comments a day…)In a society where religion isn’t part of everyday life, even isolated incidents like these tend to stand out. That’s why I think many Japanese people harbor a kind of fear, suspicion, or sense of “sketchiness” when it comes to religion.
yagara
1 month ago
That said, this reaction usually applies only when Japanese people themselves are involved in religion—especially if it’s a lesser-known faith, rather than something widely recognized like Buddhism or Christianity.
yagara
1 month ago
Most people in Japan are aware, through school education, that religion is a normal part of life in many countries, and that Japan’s high rate of non-religious individuals is actually unusual from a global perspective. So when a foreigner says they belong to a religion, the typical response is either a polite “Oh, I see,” or genuine curiosity and respectful questions.
lamanon
1 month ago
I spent most of my life in the US, raised Catholic but personally considered myself an atheist. I lived in a fairly diverse part of the country so religion ended up being something that didn't end up being a huge deal amongst people I knew, but that certainly isn't the case everrwhere.
lamanon
1 month ago
(meant to post this as a separate paragraph) A few months ago I moved to the Philippines, which I believe is around 80-85% Catholic, and it is a huge part of the culture here (and why I was raised Catholic). There are churches and religious advertisements everywhere, and many people/businesses take a week off in April for Holy Week.
lamanon
1 month ago
Coming from a fairly agnostic place to such an overtly religious place is a bit jarring to me, to be honest, but people aren't pushy about it. I don't go out of my way to talk about religion, but if people ask me what I believe I'm honest about it.
mortesubitaesuja
1 month ago
brazil is suuuuper religious,it has a lot of different religions but still people here are kinda intorelant with atheists especially because most people here are from the catholic church
yagara
1 month ago
Thank you all for your responses!! This really made me realize how different the sense of religion in Japan is compared to other countries. I learned a lot from this🙇
art music videogames programming anime games food personal writing cats blog movies books gaming fashion photography comics design animation horror game drawing coding manga furry portfolio technology poetry ocs reading arte cute kpop education programacion history animals musica film fun sports roblox literature philosophy html nature programing science tech travel videogame web politics minecraft gamedev school retro youtube computers cartoons videojuegos life pokemon 2000s love video blogging illustration diary fantasy dogs pink random comic memes gardening internet videos idk test linux webcomic oc queer cooking nostalgia kawaii ai y2k tv arg fandom news aesthetic emo business fanfiction journal cars worldbuilding health learning vocaloid silly crafts media stuff films math space fiction 90s website stories scifi cutecore css culture cat football arts graphics etc painting homestuck software marketing lgbt goth baking punk sanrio 3d journaling commissions sport pixelart crochet archive artist psychology cinema digitalart program diy me dance dnd characters funny comida religion trans metal makeup shows lgbtq graphicdesign cool javascript entertainment streaming fanart editing code aboutme sonic development scene creativity clothes series rpg friends indie lifestyle webcomics story roleplay plants comedy guitar languages weird webcore zines electronics gay rock hacking everything ttrpg webdesign educacion cyberpunk community study reviews aesthetics sewing engineering informatica computer basketball beauty soccer it originalcharacters oldweb fnaf weirdcore social vintage spirituality vtuber discord pets vaporwave project photos shop architecture information about movie clothing coffee storytelling blogs flowers language deltarune nintendo testing japan html5 shopping undertale mlp biology magic cosplay thoughts crypto money hobbies digital creative fitness radio book lore blinkies nothing ttrpgs experimental chat info tecnologia physics cybersecurity furries astronomy alternative fandoms japanese bugs singing site websites birds occult autism juegos witchcraft other resume finance wip futbol anything research lain band profile sleeping dolls sleep television gamedevelopment theatre vr tvshows projects events system crafting apps work genshin ghchs linguistics personalwebsite photo vampires splatoon webdevelopment all fish dreams transgender carrd free python knitting interests astrology meme rap toys developer yaoi mentalhealth fanfic puzzle pixels aliens windows wiki fortnite collecting app deportes robots moda drawings coquette dog animations touhou romance cartoon poems dancing a family bio english gothic visualnovels security stamps tarot skateboarding online intro marvel pizza links modding medicine fnf gatos mathematics osc hiking data teaching humor adventure essays frutigeraero interactive journalism characterdesign lol no roleplaying animes dragons mystery gamedesign gyaru gallery gym fansite chess rp zine twitch hobby creepypasta objectshows zonelets gifs resources jfashion pixel home breakcore ffxiv meow tf2 puzzles scenecore law mythology privacy ocean noise popculture hiphop musicals twine vkei dreamcore birthday death traveling piano myself audio introduction podcast graphic novels blender recipes progamming android danganronpa bfdi yuri ecommerce rpgs dark stars communism swag plushies hellokitty robotics shrine car socialmedia indiegames style awesome activism pictures pjsk jogos paranormal none omori studying foods running production deporte lolita boardgames utau student bunnies educational electronic anarchism girls christianity wrestling jewelry misc lesbian feminism travelling spanish things bitcoin mario scratch unblocked vent filmmaking god old computing clowns webdev pinterest volleyball sharks store dev geography designing outdoors realestate songs grunge maths 80s craft pc doom jpop java 3dmodeling amor flash vtubers help images peliculas college environment starwars tools brasil transformers tumblr creepy collage dinosaurs trains jazz services stickers event cafe computerscience epic bts escuela blue chemistry translation baseball novel warriorcats yoga plurality construction acting bl pastel lego collection cyber mcr programar southpark retrogaming cine js persona jesus programas tea multimedia theater tabletop tcc fotografia libros therian podcasts yes monsters weed videoediting forum args alt otherkin gamer truecrime shoes whatever horses trading estudiante medical supernatural techno programmer vlog enstars weather hardware skating miku cozy tiktok pop dc manhwa videography angels insects homepage cricket search salud economics turismo curso freedom hi people maps bsd skincare socialism kirby drama learn historia dj opensource ecology restaurant kidcore surrealism digitalmarketing draw modeling kandi f1 lgbtqia swimming green sound vhs closedspecies halloween ropa girly world ideas artwork service tattoos petz nerd tourism text analysis author bible hockey cleaning edm shitposting literatura animanga depression conspiracy animales furniture fishing cv whimsy egl healthcare trinkets blockchain kdrama drugs did cultura racing chatting homework surreal rats 3dprinting academia tennis mobile frogs women videogaming plural scary filmes sociology library chill academic friendship sculpture bands hardcore hair sciencefiction general wedding cryptocurrency networking knowledge brazil programa informacion tutorials alterhuman christian truth eating soft rpgmaker visualnovel species thrifting programacao ambient society analog colors creation practice genshinimpact mods aviation water foss miriadax university estudio ghosts glitch gacha anarchy jjba quotes company livros server cryptids erotica sites conlang retrogames css3 wellness bot anthropology batman programs purple ux artes sketching onepiece google sustainability cycling graffiti guns schoolproject class live garden review twitter medieval neocities superheroes noticias character kids harrypotter forsaken revival magazine shitpost theology advertising mangas writer blood instagram cs webseries esoteric writting nails archives crime startrek vampire lostmedia bikes rants play camping tattoo otaku performance theory 3dart cards articles dating analoghorror industrial evangelion church animal building frontend spiderman os idols rhythmgames disney ceramics talking meditation handmade unblockedgames synthesizers ultrakill training yapping liminal house interactivefiction future decor notes illustrations jobs apple content youtuber prompts concerts spooky french shrines datascience originalcharacter voiceacting chaos finalfantasy tarea tareas new viajes designer party tecnology crocheting silliness communication exercise zelda selfship doodles shoegaze vrchat rambling sims facts musicproduction something embroidery calculator folklore neopets disability magick satire entretenimiento mylittlepony paganism cult visualkei rainbow repair animalcrossing creating terror desing sweets hack cheese geek overwatch creatures joke crk tic photoshop jokes download halflife spiritual developing miscellaneous black anthro desarrollo marxism shifting kink quiz php private vinyl commission club tokipona vtubing bass ar vegan conlangs vlogs webring scrapbooking military trabajo mtg happy self seals hotel scp adhd musics projectsekai kdramas animating oldroblox map beach creativewriting agriculture islam archival doctorwho pet ranfren tips beginner more drinks tokusatsu secret songwriting zombies arcane yugioh edits motorcycles generator mushrooms sanat underground lolitafashion vibes casino gender 4chan 1 csgo mha stupid kin mecha lofi words randomstuff productivity musician hosting ui index studies products rave glitter beer cities cottagecore collections dungeonsanddragons shoujo time stem red streamer poesia electronica ia fanfics tamagotchi city
if there isnt one i might make one..... either a webring or fanlisting.......