Download or read book Religion in Contemporary Japan written by Ian Reader and published by University of Hawaii Press. This book was released on 1991-04-01 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What role does religion play in contemporary Japanese society and in the lives of Japanese people today? This text examines the major areas in which the Japanese participate in religious events, the role of religion in the social system and the underlying views within the Japanese religious world. Through a series of case studies of religion in action - at crowded temples and festivals, in austere Zen meditation halls, at home and at work, at dramatic fire rituals - it illustrates the immense variety, energy and colour inherent in Japanese religion. It also discusses the continued relevance and responses of religion in a rapidly modernizing and changing society.