Religion in Japan

Although many Japanese don't affiliate with any religion, many of their daily rituals are tied to Shinto or Buddhism. My Grandma is Japanese, but doesn't consider herself religious. However, when I was growing up, she always had a little shrine dedicated to her son who had died. Every morning she would bring food to the shrine and talk to him. I never really understood this when I was younger, but this past week I had the privilege of meeting my Japanese relatives, and went to some of the family graves and shrines which helped me understand my Grandma's rituals. The Japanese relatives don't associate with religion either, actually when I asked one of the cousins about Shinto, he didn't know what I was talking about. When it came to the customs of Shinto however, they were all very practiced. Even the children knew exactly what to do at the family shrines, as well as bigger shrines and temples. Most of the family still prays every morning to the ancestors and offer gifts of food and drink to them. I had brought some gifts of food to the family, and they immediately put it in my Great aunt's shrine. I found this interesting that they offered the food to the deceased before enjoying it for themselves. Overall from what I have seen so far, religion seems fairly widespread in Japan, but is not labeled as traditionally as other religions around the world.

For more on ancestor worship:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/shi/jai/jai04.htm

http://family.jrank.org/pages/85/Ancestor-Worship-Ancestor-Worship-in-Japan.html

Gender in Japan

As I've been learning in my Labor, Culture, and Human Resources class, Japan's society is set up to promote traditional gender roles: men working long hours and women staying at home taking care of the family. Many of the Japanese young women I have spoken with have one main goal: to get married. They spend a lot of money to go to college so they can find a job where they can meet their husband, and then quit working after getting married to start a family. If they do go back to work it is usually part-time, non-regular jobs. In many cases, they were raised with their mother at home, so they want to do the same for their family. I suppose I am slightly bias because I am from America, but most people I know continue to work after getting married, and even after having children. I think that the set up in Japan is much different making it harder to raise a family with two working parents. A recent poll conducted by the Ministry of Public Management found that men spend less than 3o minutes per day on domestic chores, while women spend 3 1/2 hours. Even if both husband and wife work the woman is considered to be responsible for childcare and most domestic duties. Many women who want to advance their career are choosing not to get married and have children, which is causing a population decrease. I think that since the Japanese labor system is beginning to move more towards the Western system, this might change. Although I find the Japanese labor force very interesting, I would like to see it become more mom-friendly so woman can not only have a family, but also a sucessful career.

For more information:

http://family.jrank.org/pages/984/Japan-Gender-Roles.html

http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=315816&rel_no=1
http://www.zmag.org/znet/viewArticle/5264

Sports in Japan

Japan is a country whose society is rooted in spirituality, ethics, and etiquette. So it comes as no surprise that much of the sports and leisure activities are present in these facets as well. The other day I travelled to Kyoto to view a popular meditation practice called Kendo. Kendo is a form of martial arts that resembles fencing with wooden swords. Basically the goal is to hit your opponent in one of the four areas that qualify as a point while calling it. The first to two points wins the match. I was suprised to see this meditation practice, because it seemed more like a sport when I saw it. There is a lot of posing and attacking, and very interactive. I held a real steel sword that was used before the bamboo sword was introduced, and it was incredibly heavy. It would take a lot of strength to constantly hold it up. After the match, I found out that it was popularized as a major sport in Japan after World War II, and now has spread globally as well. Kendo has even become a big part of Japan's physical education. There are clubs present from elementary until high school levels. Many of the practitioners that I saw were past school level, and chose Kendo as a way of life. I think that Kendo is a good example of sports in Japan because not only does it represent their dedication to physical activity, but also their strong ties to spirituality.

For more information, check out these websites:

http://www.linkframe.com/Healthcare/Fitness/Kendo/kendo_feature_article.htm

http://web-japan.org/trends/sports/spo030815.html

http://www.karateinternational.net/kendo.php