Are Japanese people religious? The problem of ‘syncretic religiosity’ in Japanese culture

The people of Japan often refer to themselves as 'non-religious', but one needs to find out what it means “not to be religious” in Japanese culture. One should not explain it from the point of view of Western culture, in which a person regarded as “non-religious” is often an atheist with a scientific worldview. It should be noted that the definition of the word shūkyō (religion/religious) does not include the religiosity associated with religious syncretism, which is deeply rooted in Japanese culture. This is one of the reasons why many Japanese people in surveys describe themselves as mushūkyō (non-religious), which for them does not mean a denial of religiosity – they only indicate that they do not belong to only one religion that regulates all spheres of their lives. It should be emphasized that in Japan the statement "I am not a follower of any religion" very often should be paraphrased: "I do not identify with the doctrine and practice of only one religious institution, because it would mean that I have to live exactly according to its commandments and could not take part in ceremonies of other religions. My religiosity is not exclusive and therefore I can practice in accordance with the spirit of religious syncretism." Sometimes another message is also hidden: “I am not a religious fanatic, but I am a tolerant person”. It should be noted that the reluctance of Japanese society to exclusive religiosity that is characteristic of many new religious sects was further aggravated by the religious terrorist attacks carried out by the sect Aum Shinrikyō.