Japan's Dark History with Christianity Erica Park (Kyoto)
Christianity’s impact on Japanese culture is . . . debatable. Don’t get me wrong, it’s definitely there—in fact, I wrote an entire article about it last month!—but sometimes, it can be hard to clock. Traditions for Christian holidays like Christmas have changed to fit Japanese tastes past the point of recognition for most foreigners (“Christmas is Kentucky”, anyone?), and the aesthetics of Christianity seem to be embraced rather than for its ideologies. Previously, I discussed how the religion has permeated Japanese culture, as well as interviewing a Japanese Christian to learn more about contemporary Japanese views of Christianity. Through the interview, I better understood not only Japan’s image of Christianity, but also how Japan viewed religion in general, and I hope some readers will be able to as well. 100 Christmas is Kentucky.
