According to a Yomiuri survey, 72% of Japanese profess no belief in religion of any sort. Of course, as you might expect from these kinds of statistics, things are a little more nuanced than at first they seem, though the general ambivalence of the Japanese to religion does not appear to be in doubt.
Only 45% of respondents thought Japanese to be impious, 56% percent though there was some power in nature transcending that of man, and most interestingly 94% said they honoured the ancestors. A mere 30% believed in reincarnation, and a further 24% in an afterlife, though only 18% accepted annihilation as their fate upon death.
So it would appear that whilst organised religions and religious thought are not popular in Japan, superstitions of the more disorganised and general kind remain as popular as anywhere. Not enough miko to keep people visiting the shrines? Via Itainews.
Certainly not enough miko 😀
Japan rules in all ways possible. God I hate god-mongers.
Shinto has shrine maidens, and Catholics have the nuns. But what do Buddists, Muslims, &c. have?
Obviously one’s choice in religion comes down to cute-girl appeal…
Muslims have 72 virgins.
What? I thought all japanese people believed in Harhuism!? XD
Same.
I take it that this is good news…