The Reality of Religion and Spirituality in Japan

The Reason Why I Got into the Spiritual World

Let me say this first.
I have always been, if anything, rather argumentative, theoretical, and rational.
I am the type who does not believe in anything without scientific evidence, and I love science fiction movies and space science, and my favorite movie of all is Interstellar.

It was about a year and a half ago that I began to think that maybe I should try believing in some invisible force.

The trigger was when I, who like space science, happened to pick up a very suspicious-looking book called The Truth of the Universe and read it.
The contents of the book, which were suspicious in every way, were about the universe and spirituality, but surprisingly, it was interesting and greatly caught my attention.

If you are thinking, “So, you’ve also become one of those people on that side,” wait a moment.
Please don’t pull away and read until the end. I am not trying to sell you expensive stones or seminars.
I just wanted to know—what was written, and the credibility of those suspicious people.

Later, as a result of me researching various things about the universe, religion, and spirituality, I found out that the book was, in the end, a shady omnibus-style book that was based on information such as Lawrence Spencer’s Alien Interview, the scientific “Double-Slit Experiment,” the Law of Attraction, quantum mechanics, and so on, and presented in the form of telepathic dialogues with aliens.
As the first book I happened to pick up, in a sense it might have been good. There are many books of that kind published in Japan.

There were parts I found convincing and parts that were hard to believe, but I became interested and devoured many books and articles of that kind.
Incidentally, not limited to that book, in the spiritual world there are some differences but generally the following ideas are proposed:

• The brain and body are not the self, but merely containers. Consciousness itself is the true self (the soul).
• Everything is energy. Thoughts are also energy. Vibrations of the same kind attract each other.
• There exists the Akashic Records, which contain all memories of the universe, and there are people who can access them.
• The concept of time does not exist. Past and future events happen simultaneously.
• Oneness: the source of everything is one. Ultimately, both oneself and others are connected to a single consciousness.
• Humans are not Earth’s original species but were created by reptilian aliens.
• Religions were created in order to make humans work conveniently.
• Earth is like a prison within the universe, and humans cannot leave it.
• Each person has multiple beings such as guardian spirits and guides.
• Humans have an aura.
• There also exists a higher-dimensional version of oneself.
• The world we are now seeing is an illusion.

And so on—it’s only a part, but even this much is fascinating, isn’t it? Some of it is derived from existing religions.
The fact that I originally didn’t have any particular faith might also be one of the reasons why I found it so interesting.

Things I Could Relate to from a Scientific Perspective

Time Does Not Exist

This is often said in the spiritual world, but it originally comes from Einstein’s theory, so for me there is no doubt about it.
It is also something you can understand by watching my favorite movie, Interstellar. I’ll skip the explanation, but the future and the past exist simultaneously.

The World We See is an Illusion

Recently, Elon Musk even said that there’s a 99% chance this world is virtual reality.
It’s a hard-to-believe phrase, but considering experiments such as the “double-slit experiment,” which is called the most beautiful experiment in human history, and the fact that in quantum mechanics all matter also has wave properties,
as well as the virtual spaces we are already creating at our current level, it seems very plausible even from a scientific perspective.

A Quote from Einstein

The renowned physicist Einstein left behind these words:

“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.”

These words had a very strong impact on me.
Although Einstein did not believe in God, he could empathize with Spinoza’s idea that nature and the universe itself are God.

I strongly resonated with that too. When I pray or express gratitude to God, it is not to Jesus or Muhammad, but rather to nature, or the order of the universe—something like that, though I cannot fully explain it.
Religion and science are surprisingly close to each other, and if you pursue them deeply, it seems like they reach the same goal.

The Afterlife

The afterlife is also a field that greatly interests me. In the spiritual community, there is no heaven or hell in the afterlife.
As seen in other religions as well, roughly speaking, a soul that has finished its time in this world goes through a process of learning and is then reborn into something else.

Among the books I read, Michael Newton’s writing about the afterlife was particularly fascinating.

And the Disney-Pixar movie Soul aligns perfectly with what he described.

For those who haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. It’s a wonderful movie that can make ordinary everyday life feel magical.

Prayer

Everyone has prayed at least once in their life, right?
There is a Japanese professor who conducted scientific experiments on the effects of prayer.

A blog summarized the results of these experiments (please translate it into your native language if necessary).

They line up cucumbers, offer prayers, and then measure the gas they emit. I hope that makes sense.

The results were very interesting. I didn’t expect the effects of prayer to be visible.
Indeed, if something had no effect, it wouldn’t have been revered for thousands of years.

Meditation

Wanting to try connecting to the so-called Akashic Records, I decided to start meditating.
Everyone wants to have some kind of special ability, right? In the end, I haven’t been able to connect to the Akashic Records, but there were still benefits.
First, I began falling asleep more easily than before. This was because I could clear my mind.
For someone like me, who tends to breathe shallowly, deep breathing seemed to be very important for my body. I also felt calmer, and my stress appeared to be reduced.

I looked up methods online and tried them. At first, I sat cross-legged, but now I find it more comfortable to sit in a chair.
Meditation itself is considered beneficial from a scientific standpoint, and it is probably already quite common in countries like the U.S., right?

When I told my wife that I was starting meditation, she laughed at me, but in Japan, this is still generally the case.
Spiritual or highly religious practices are often still met with suspicion, ridicule, or caution in Japan.

For people in other parts of the world who generally have some kind of faith, this probably doesn’t seem strange,
but Japanese people are somewhat unfamiliar with the spiritual world and tend to have some resistance toward it.

Religion Among Japanese People

Let’s take a look at religion in Japan.
According to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the number of followers of religious organizations in Japan is approximately 180 million.
Japan’s population is about 120 million, so this number of followers “exceeds the population,” but this is because many Japanese practice both Shinto and Buddhism simultaneously.

However, this statistic can be a bit misleading.
In reality, if you went to Shibuya and asked random Japanese people, “Which religion do you belong to?” most would say, “I don’t belong to any religion.”
This is the reality: most Japanese people consider themselves as not belonging to any religion.

But,

Most Japanese, when a family member dies, will call a Buddhist monk, hold a funeral, cremate the body, give a posthumous Buddhist name, and bury the remains in a gravestone.
This is a Buddhist custom.
Also, most Japanese people visit shrines at the New Year, pray for their children’s growth, and have purification rituals during unlucky years.
These are Shinto customs.

So, the report from the Agency for Cultural Affairs is broadly accurate, but most individual Japanese people do not recognize it that way.
I am one of them. It’s kind of ambiguous and strange, isn’t it?
Besides these, Japanese people practice many other Buddhist and Shinto customs as well.

Why Japanese People Don’t Feel “Belonging to a Religion”

• Unlike Christianity or Islam, there is no clear structure of “believe, convert, follow rules.”
• Shinto and Japanese Buddhism are practiced naturally as part of “daily events” or “household customs,” so it’s difficult for people to develop a sense of being a follower.
• Parents or schools don’t explicitly say, “We are Buddhists.”
• Shinto and Buddhism have been mixed together for a long time, and there’s no strict sense of separation; the idea of “both are okay” has become normal.

As a result, the clear awareness of “I belong to a particular religion” has weakened.

Negative impression

The impression that Japanese people often have toward religion or spiritual matters tends to be negative—words like suspicious, cult, brainwashing, or being sold expensive items come to mind.
The 1995 Tokyo subway sarin attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult may have contributed to this.
More recently, there was the incident where former Prime Minister Abe was assassinated by the second-generation follower of the Unification Church.
It seems that in Japan, being religious can give the impression of being “a bit off.”
I have never personally met someone who says, “I am a follower of XX religion.”
Yet, in reality, most people are Buddhists or Shinto believers.

In other words, Japanese people are a curious group: they engage in religious practices daily yet remain skeptical of religion.

Readings, Channeling, Seminars, and Merchandise

In the spiritual world, there are people known as channelers or Akashic readers, primarily originating from the West.
There are also many of them in Japan, selling books for personal fortune advice or Akashic readings, and holding seminars.
Honestly, I am curious about whether these things are effective, but the prices are relatively high, so I haven’t tried them myself yet.

Many of these practitioners claim to be connected to the universe. While I initially had some doubts or frustrations about turning this into a business, I came to think that it’s not a problem for someone to earn money by healing, reading, or guiding people—just as a musician earns money by entertaining people with songs.
After all, my own interest in spirituality began with just one book.

However, scams do exist in this field, which can be troublesome. With music, you can simply choose not to listen.
Many people who fall victim to scams are often in a vulnerable state, experiencing some form of anxiety or worry.
As for me, I live a fairly carefree life and don’t have major anxieties or concerns, so I have no fear of being exploited by fraudsters.

Chance? Or Inevitable? The Pull of Attraction

I like singer-songwriter Sia and have been a fan since she was the vocalist for Zero 7.
I also like Pharrell Williams and listened to his music often. And among Japanese singers, I grew to like Fujii Kaze.
As I mentioned in a previous article, I’m currently practicing with his official scores as well.

What these artists have in common is their spirituality. From interviews and articles, it seems that all of them have a spiritual side.
Learning this later surprised me and somehow made me happy. Could this be the power of attraction? I wondered.
Perhaps it was inevitable that I would come to love their music.

Pharrell’s “Happy” is exactly the kind of spiritual song I adore. And when I watched the film Music, created by Sia, emotions overflowed and I ended up crying loudly next to my wife.
It’s an amazing film, so I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.

In any case, it seems that many artists share this kind of spiritual side.

The Teachings of Buddha

While doing some research on religion and spirituality, I came across someone explaining the teachings of Buddha. As I read their book, I realized some important truths:

• Life does not go as you wish.
• Letting go of attachments and accepting things as they are brings ease.
• Value the people in front of you.
• Forgive others.
• Be humble.
• Cultivate gratitude for everything.

Life does not go as you want. This may seem obvious, but many people tend to forget it. Especially in relationships, people often get angry or stressed because others do not act the way they expect. Most human suffering comes from interpersonal issues. Just knowing that you cannot control others can make a difference.

“Letting go of attachments” refers to hopes and desires. While it may sound harsh, for example: when you work hard, it’s natural to expect that your salary will eventually increase, right? But in life, things rarely go that smoothly. Holding onto such expectations can lead to anger and stress when reality doesn’t meet them.

I learned that by being content with the present and going through daily life calmly, you can feel much more at ease and gain a sense of inner peace.

Can’t Be Satisfied with the Present?

I started by practicing gratitude. Every day, I said “thank you” to absolutely everything I saw—like a fool.
Of course, this included my family and pets, but also my house, bed, bath, bicycle, car, flowers on the roadside, the sky, the wind, the commuter train, my office, my work, my hands, my feet, my eyes, my nose—my entire body. Everything.

At first, I forced myself to say it. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” It was all thank yous.
It felt ridiculous and made me laugh, but after continuing for a while, I began noticing other things I could be thankful for.
Eventually, the “thank yous” I had been jokingly saying turned into genuine gratitude.
Isn’t the fact that there are countless things to be grateful for itself a form of happiness?
It’s important to increase the number of things you can be thankful for, even small ones, as much as possible.

I used to forget all of this.
For example, I might complain about my knees hurting when I run, but I never appreciated my arms and waist that function perfectly, my brain that can think, or my eyes that let me see the world.
I might feel annoyed by crowded trains or sudden rain, but I never took a moment to be grateful for arriving safely home.

The air we breathe, the movement of our limbs, the food we eat, the ordinary flow of daily life—none of it is truly ordinary.
Everything is a blessing from the universe or a cycle of the Earth, brought about through the efforts of others as well.
Even the loneliest person isn’t truly living alone—they are being kept alive.

Recognizing this makes you humble. Not self-deprecating, but truly humble.
When you are humble, anger or feelings of being hurt naturally decrease.

By practicing this now, I feel incredibly happy. I feel invincible, like Pharrell’s song “Happy.”
This happiness doesn’t come from being married, having a job, or having children. It doesn’t depend on your surroundings or circumstances.
It comes from being able to feel grateful.

My stress levels have dramatically decreased, though they are not zero.
Living in modern society makes eliminating stress extremely difficult—level 100.
Unpleasant events or people still show up occasionally.
When that happens, I try to forgive them. It’s not easy, but forgiving can lighten your heart a little.
You don’t have to force yourself to forgive.
When faced with something unforgivable, simply note in your mind: I would not do that.
Then acknowledge your emotions: This has happened, and I am angry. Just recognizing your feelings makes a big difference.

Also, understand how much time anger wastes.
Being grumpy affects everyone around you—it’s a serious wrongdoing.

So, in those moments, focus on things that are fun and meaningful to you.
Music, food, shopping, porn sites—anything is fine.
Knowing something that can make you happy is important. Take charge of your own mood.

By noticing and observing your anger objectively, you can switch your mindset easily.
Difficult? Keep trying!

When something annoys me, I literally crumple up the irritation or anger like a scrap of paper with my hands and toss it away.
I actually do it.😂 Surprisingly effective.
It acts as a switch to change your mood.

Quitting Smoking

As I mentioned in another article, I quit smoking at the age of 40.
And I did it… just like that.

Normally, quitting isn’t that easy, right? There were two things I did to help myself quit, one of which was the piano.
I loved the piano but had never actually played it, so I started practicing. Focusing on the piano helped me shift my attention away from cigarettes.

The other thing was gratitude.
After I began practicing gratitude, life started feeling a little better. Somehow, I had the bizarre thought that if I expressed gratitude to cigarettes themselves, I might be able to quit.
It was an extremely crazy idea—but I tried it.

Whenever I felt the urge to smoke after starting my quit attempt, I would thank the cigarettes:
“Thank you for being so delicious until now,”
“Thank you for all the relaxing moments,” or
“Thank you for showing me how addictive you can be.”

Yes, I know—you probably think I’m crazy.😅
But in the end, it worked. I’ve been smoke-free for a year now.
I’m the most surprised of all. If you’re a smoker, you know quitting for no particular reason isn’t something that just happens.

In the spiritual world, they say that when you express gratitude, it comes back to you.

If something impossible like this can become possible, then I can’t help but believe in this unseen, unproven, mysterious force.

That said, in recent years, it seems that the spiritual world is slowly starting to gain ground in Japan as well.

How Small We Are

As you all know, we are small. “Small” isn’t even enough to describe how small we really are.
And the universe is vast. “Vast” isn’t enough to describe how immense it truly is.

Eames’ film: Powers of Ten

It clearly shows our size.

How Little We Know

Approximate percentages of what we understand:

We know far too little… not even about our own bodies.

This was the ultimate reason I began to believe in invisible things and forces.
In a world where so much remains unexplained, it seems almost impossible to live believing only in what we can see.

For me, the fact that we “don’t know” became a kind of scientific justification.

99% “The Unknown,” or 1% “Evidence.” Which would you choose to believe?

Thank you for reading!

By the way, I bought a cute celestite for 10,000 yen—but don’t worry, I haven’t lost my mind!😂