{"id":12017,"date":"2026-04-09T10:03:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:03:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wajari.com\/blog\/espiritualidad-religion-japon\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T10:19:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T08:19:29","slug":"espiritualidad-religion-japon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wajari.com\/en\/blog\/espiritualidad-religion-japon\/","title":{"rendered":"Spirituality and religion in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I grew up in an agnostic family, but in search of a good-quality education I ended up studying at a religious school (Augustinians). I was not baptized, nor did I follow the usual Catholic traditions (First Communion, confirmation), but when I had to deal with some paperwork, I was baptized at 15, having to avoid my name because it did not exist in the saints\u2019 calendar. <\/p>\n\n

What a wonderful example of integration!<\/p>\n\n

So my relationship with the Catholic religion<\/strong> has not been very positive in many ways.<\/p>\n\n

Ironically, I took part in spiritual retreats<\/strong> from a young age because I saw a lot of value in that humanitarian work and support. Not all priests were radical; there were some good ones. <\/p>\n\n

I lived alongside religious groups that imposed their religion on Indigenous groups, but at least they made an effort to improve their health, education, and quality of life.<\/p>\n\n

Of course, when you are starting to explore your sexuality and masturbation, and you have a priest telling you that \u201cjerking off\u201d is a sin and that is why you were doing badly at school, in my youthful stupidity I believed all that crap for brief periods. <\/p>\n\n

Oh, fuck! That\u2019s why I\u2019m such a bad student\u2014now I get it. If I\u2019m constantly jerking off, this is normal. \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n\n

But as I said, even though my relationship with Catholicism rarely went well, spirituality<\/strong>, as I understand it, gave me a path to peace and serenity that I have always been grateful for.<\/p>\n\n

When I was very young, I started reading about yoga, meditation, Sufism, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism<\/strong>… and little by little you find your meaning (your path) in everything. At least that is what happened to me. Everyone, I understand, has a different route. <\/p>\n\n

That said, I never found my path in major religions, but in the teachings of people. Spiritual teachers<\/strong> who show you the way, even if they cannot walk the path for you. It depends a lot on when you receive the message and how open or closed you are to it. <\/p>\n\n

Our Western society is strongly influenced by the Catholic Church in many of the values and beliefs that define us. <\/p>\n\n

While it is true that its influence in 2026 is not the same as it was in 1930, it still casts a veil that permeates our thoughts and values. And sometimes I wonder: Is this something positive? Is it a paradigm<\/strong> that improves our lives or gives them meaning? <\/p>\n\n

Since it is something that shapes human relationships in our immediate environment, or even our relationship with the rest of society\u2019s spheres.<\/p>\n\n

I traveled to Japan<\/strong> recently.<\/p>\n\n

I will write about this later because, for me, it was the best trip of my life (a dream come true) in many ways, and it has sparked thousands of reflections.<\/p>\n\n

Something that blew my mind about that trip\u2014and has had me turning it over ever since I was there\u2014was the difference between religiosity and spirituality, and what implications this can have in a society.<\/p>\n\n

\"Asakusa<\/figure>
\"Fushimi<\/figure>
\"Inari<\/figure><\/div>
\"Ry\u014dzen<\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n
<\/div>\n\n

There are two \u201cbeliefs\u201d there: Shinto and Buddhism<\/strong>. I call them beliefs because, in truth, I find it very difficult to classify them as religion<\/strong> as we understand it in the Western world, where the rigid structure of Catholicism shapes our concept of what a religion should be\u2014which is a mistake. <\/p>\n\n

Shinto<\/strong> (shinto<\/em>) is Japan\u2019s native belief system, full of animist beliefs and rituals based on the worship of natural and supernatural forces, ancestors, places, or objects (Dokusho Villalba, 2006). They venerate the kami<\/strong><\/em> (spirits or deities), which are present in nature. <\/p>\n\n

It has no founders or sacred texts, and no hierarchical structure behind it. It seeks people\u2019s purification (with rituals such as washing your hands and mouth). It has shrines and torii<\/strong> that mark the entrance to a sacred space. They use omamori<\/strong><\/em>, or protective amulet objects. <\/p>\n\n

With the arrival of Buddhism, which has a long journey from India to the different schools that came from China (a fascinating history), respect and coexistence between the beliefs of both practices has developed.<\/p>\n\n

Today, you can see Shinto temples and Buddhist temples<\/strong>. Each has its own particularities, but both coexist completely normally and respectfully, welcoming practitioners of both approaches\u2014not creating a duality, but a wonderful coexistence. <\/p>\n\n

You can attend birth ceremonies in Shinto and Buddhist funerals without this creating any conflict.<\/p>\n\n

I have been a practitioner of Zen Buddhism<\/strong> for many years, and from here I saw it as something \u201cseparate\u201d from the rest of society or everyday life. Something that made me happy was seeing how integrated it was in Japanese society. <\/p>\n\n

But interestingly, when you look into official data\u2014for example from the Agency for Cultural Affairs<\/strong><\/a> (registry of temples and shrines)\u2014they indicate:<\/p>\n\n