Behind the façade: unseen faces of Japan

Abstract

‘Spiritual awareness’ is often difficult to measure, partly because it may include experiences that some people are reluctant to discuss publicly and partly because interpretations of such experiences vary across cultures. Nevertheless, there are indications that in Japan, there is a strong undercurrent of spirituality that is expressed in attitudes towards certain natural phenomena, whether it be a reverent attitude towards the Sun or Moon or a practice of visiting places of natural beauty that had been regarded as embodiments of spirits but now might be called ‘power spots’. There is also a fear of potentially vindictive spirits that may need to be pacified through rites of propitiation, not only at a local but also at a national level. The example of Japan shows that such beliefs and practices remain widespread within a technologically sophisticated, urbanized and well-educated population. Nevertheless, there are also hints that underlying worldviews could be changing, possibly including a shift in focus from spirits within natural phenomena towards a belief in the existence of an intelligent Creator who made all things. Against the background of such a highly technological and yet enchanted world, what are the political and environmental implications of spiritual transformations and adjustments?