The Religious Life of Japan

At the Far Eastern end of Asia, Japan has benefited over the centuries from a complex inter-mingling of indigenous and foreign traditions that gave rise to Japan’s unique religious heritage. Students will learn about the different ways of being religious from pre-history to modern times through studying the ways of the Kami, religion and the arts (for example, the tea ceremony), Pure Land and Zen Buddhism, State Shinto, new religious movements, and spirituality in contemporary Japanese popular culture. Also offered in Asian Studies.