Where Is God in Japan?
Francesca
The Quiet Sense of the Sacred in Everyday Life
“Japanese people don’t think much about God”
Some years ago, I was speaking with a sister from Italy when she said something that stayed with me.
“Japanese people do not seem to think about God very much.”
I understood what she meant.
In everyday conversation in Japan, people rarely talk openly about God or faith.
Religion is not usually a topic that comes up in daily life.
And yet, her words made me pause for a moment.
Is it really true that Japanese people do not think about God?
A Sense of the Sacred in Unexpected Places
Even though people may not speak about religion directly,
there are small moments in Japanese life that hint at something deeper.
For example, people often describe a beautiful landscape as “divine” or “godlike.”
There are mountains said to be places where a spirit dwells,
forests that feel sacred,
and ancient shrines quietly hidden among the trees.
At the beginning of the year, many people go to watch the first sunrise.
Some bow their heads or quietly place their hands together in prayer.
Most of them would not describe themselves as religious.
Yet there is still a quiet sense that something sacred may be present in the world around us.
The Cultural Memory of “Many Gods”
In traditional Japanese culture there is an old expression: “eight million gods.”
It does not literally mean the number eight million.
Rather, it expresses the idea that the sacred can dwell in many places — in mountains, rivers, forests, and natural landscapes.
Of course, most modern Japanese people do not consciously believe this in a formal religious sense.
And yet, when someone sees a breathtaking mountain and says,
“It feels as if a god might live there,”
they are expressing a feeling that has quietly remained in the culture.
It is less a doctrine, and more a way of sensing the world.
Perhaps God Is Felt Like the Air
So when the sister made that comment, I replied with a thought that came to mind.
Perhaps Japanese people do not think about God in the same way.
Instead, they may feel that something sacred exists quietly in many places.
In a mountain landscape.
In the stillness of a forest.
In the light of the first sunrise of the year.
It is not always clearly defined.
But there is often a gentle sense that something sacred might be present.
In that sense, perhaps the presence of the divine in Japan is sometimes felt almost like the air — something quietly surrounding everyday life.
Living Faith Within This Culture
As a Catholic, my faith invites me to recognise God as a personal presence in prayer.
Because of that, living faith in Japan can sometimes feel like standing between two different ways of sensing the sacred.
On one hand, there is a quiet cultural awareness of something divine in nature and tradition.
On the other hand, the Christian faith calls us into a personal relationship with God.
Living within both of these worlds can be a surprisingly beautiful experience.
In the Next Column
In Japanese churches, there is another small curiosity that often surprises people from overseas.
At Mass, it is not unusual to find people attending regularly who have not yet been baptised.
In the next column, I will share a little about why that happens.
This column is part of the series “Catholic Life in Japan,”
where I share small reflections on faith and everyday life in Japan.
