Some Aspects of Shintoism
Mt. Fuji is the highest mountain in Japan.
But it is located just 100 km west of Tokyo. Mt. Fuji itself is the main body of a shinto shrine. But has Tokyo been sufficiently protected by the holy mountain? In the modern era, Tokyo was twice devastated. In 1923, the Great Kanto earthquake killed more than 140,000 people; those victims were mostly Tokyo citizens who lived in downtowns. Half of Tokyo became burnt ruins. In 1945, the last year of WWII, Tokyo suffered sever air bombardment by US bombers, resulting in 110,000 deaths. Two thirds of Tokyo became burnt ruins.
However after WWII, Japan recovered to be the second largest economy, next to the US. At least, Mt. Fuji protected Japan after all.
It is true Japanese look like people without faith in God. But most of Japanese visit shinto shrines on special occasions, such as New Year Days. For example, Meiji Shrine in Tokyo is visited every year by three million people in the first three days of the year. The shrine in the above pictures receives two million.
There is no concept of the sole creator of the universe in shitoism. But Japanese are sensitive to spiritual matters. And there is strong tradition of study and research in Buddhism among Japanese. So, it is unthinkable that Japanese someday stop going to shinto shrines on reasonable occasions. Even Yasukuni Shrine of Tokyo has more than 200,000 visitors in the three new year days (from January 1 to 3) every year. (Yasukuni Shrines established in 1869 enshrines 2.5 million fallen soldiers of the Empire of Japan.)
Nonetheless the deep connection between the Japanese race and its unique religion shintoism is not seen in Japanese living abroad on the permanent base. It is a stark contrast between the Japanese and Judaists. Judaists follow and observe their religion wherever they live. But the linkage of Japanese people with shinto looks like evaporating when they move to foreign countries. Conversely, shinto is deeply connected to the nature of Japan.
But, Japan is prone to be attacked by various types of natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. But, this archipelago has been also afflicted by nuclear energy: Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Fukushima. These tragedies must also strongly influence Japanese minds. So, it cannot be easy for any conservative politicians to restart any of 50 nuclear power plants now halted due to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident and arm Japan with nuclear weapons (if China should start an armed conflict around the Senkaku Islands).
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Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.