Religions in a Catholic school in Japan

Eleven years ago, I was on my way to church when from the adjacent school, I saw little
children in blue uniform and hats forming two neat lines as they were being led by their teacher. In
front of a white statue of the Mother of Jesus standing on the facade of the main building, they clasped
their hands and bowed. It was a very lovely picture to me and I assumed that there must be many
Catholics in the neighborhood as the gestures of these children manifested. Only when my daughter
started going to this school, did I find out that excluding her, my son who will follow in two years, and
another two or three more, no one else shares our religion. The religious custom I thought I have
identified as from my belief was but an action being taught by the school to believers of other faith and
yet without hesitation, they all follow. I have realized too that mothers who send their children here has
some kind of similarities, in looks and styles, so unlike me in my mediocre jeans and shirt. It was a
very difficult thing to be new in a place but even much more difficult is to be out of place. I have
started to search for the values I have learned from religion but thought it will be easier to understand
this strange world, if not just different culture I would have to live with as long as my children are in
this school.

Attending their Children Day Event in church

A Catholic priest blessing
children

Time had allowed me to address the differences I faced as one of the mothers but I have avoided
the aspect of religion until now. This writing project of ethnography have allowed me to delve into the
matter. I sent an email for my interview questions to two mothers and directly asked one. What is the
significance of religion in their lives? Why did they send their children to study in a Catholic school? I
will talk about their replies on the second half of my essay, the first part will be my observations and
challenges.

On their primary years, having to bring our children to school in the morning, pick them up in
the afternoon and in between on frequent times, attend meetings and talks, for obligatory works where
parents need to contribute for projects and plays, all these set a ground for mothers to know each other.
Here I examined closely how the majority of the mothers were. The bags they carry are very common
in a Japanese society but here it was more flamboyant. Prada, Gucci, Coach, Vuitton and frequently
changed depending on their attire. The signature brands are also flaunted on the shoes, sunglasses,
hats, clothes, wallets, in everything they carry. When I bring my daughter at the back of my bike, the
drivers of Mercedez Benz and BMWs would wave at me, mothers! The expensive stuff are not just
carried by these women, one can see them too at times on the children. It did not take long for me to
check my stuff. I have always tried to avoid leather and have hated fur (which is a winter accessory in
many of them) in my conviction that it is synonymous with animal cruelty. I started asking myself why
I enrolled my child in this school when it is not even easy for my family to make ends meet.

Marriage have brought me a new life in a new country. In all the places I have been to in Japan,
the Catholic churches are the ones familiar to me, its silence was soothing especially when I get enough
of the noise I did not understand, I did not know yet how to speak Nihonggo. The church nearest our
area was the one near the school. Here, during the Sunday masses, I have also met a pious and very
simple woman. She also helped me in enrolling my daughter in the school nearby after divulging that I

want her to go there. On the first day of school, I was so surprised to find out how humble she had
been, she was the principal in the kindergarten unit.

In the everyday routine of a kindergartener where it lasts for three years, I have become
accustomed to these mothers. I have known them, their helpfulness and cooperation in events like
Christmas plays, their unselfishness in volunteering their time and effort for projects like Art Festivals
or in cleaning up with enthusiasm after Sports Day. There are also some monthly affair like sorting of
donated rice for the homeless people or making crafts for charity bazaars and majority zealously and
very kindly put work on these. I have adopted changes too, for instance, wearing blouses instead of
shirts, slacks instead of blue jeans, being friendly to them rather than timid as how I was the first time.
I got used to their affluence and I stopped being bashful for what I lack. It does not necessarily mean
that they are showing off, but the material things are just natural choices in their lives. I would always
wish that they will look farther, to hungry children in poor countries like mine or desperate people who
would be ecstatic to catch their hand-me-downs. On how these mothers look in all their coiffure,
sculpted nails, make-up and getup, in trying their hardest to look the best they could because they
represent their children, they are in their ways fulfilling an aim for their children, looking the best they
could. When I thought that these people were too materialistic, it was I judging with a scornful eye,
and for all my intention of spirituality in making my children study here, my thought was very
irreligious.

The replies from my interviews have opened my eyes to a much larger picture of religion in
Japan. I have gathered the fact that majority of Japanese are Buddhists and Shintoists, that these two
religion interplay in the lives of most of the people. They go to the temples, maintained by Buddhist
monks, when they visit the grave of their departed ones. Every New Year, they go to Shrines,
maintained by the Shinto priests, to pray. One mother I asked was not sure what her religion actually is

as she was never told anything about it by her parents but they all observe customs of both religion.
When they go to a Shrine, they pull a string that will ring the bell, they said this will call the god, who
they cannot identify. Then they clap their hands, bow, and silently utter their wish. It is but a
ceremony and void of any meaning but to release a prayer in their mind. It is in this regard that it does
not matter to a parent if they send their children to a Catholic institution, the rituals here do not connote
an importance except some actions which without conflict, they can perform. If Shinto and Buddhism
coexist in their lives, it can be extended more by their tolerance and respect to other faith.

A Shinto Shrine

Shinto Priests

Praying in a Shrine

What I have learned is that in this community, in this Catholic school where people from many
religion are gathered, belief is something they can set aside and is subjective to each individual.
Clashes in principles or beliefs never happened here, everyone respects the opinions of others. My
daughter now in her sophomore year and is still in the same school, had just informed me that her new
religion teacher is a Protestant and that they are learning the teachings of Buddha. If different religions
can live in harmony in one small community, could it be possible in a bigger picture? in the whole one
world?

A
Buddhist Temple

A Buddhist Monk

Praying in a temple

One of my interviewee is a wife of a Buddhist monk but her replies encompasses not just her
own belief but of religion in general. First she said that she feels being hugged in this school the first
time she visited, and she believes, so is everyone. By who? Maybe God. She enrolled all her three
kids with the support of her husband. She said that the human mind is weak and so our mind needs a
place to relax, a place to keep our mind strong so we can live in this world. A place called religion!
She specified that children needs this place. If religion is a place in the mind, everyone can go there,
everyone can afford that place where our mind can rest and keep it strong. Perhaps this is the view that
puts no distinction in the different kinds of religion. When she mentioned God, she was not
particular of who, the God of Christianity? There is no difference. She meant God, the Supreme Being
unseen but can be felt, hugging her and her children and everyone else. She added too that most
parents want their children to be the angels of peace and religion can start that.

I was startled by her responses that it moved me to think and ask, is religion but ceremonies
distinct to each kind of religion but One Creator sees it all and planned it this way? Does the freedom
given to creatures in human form necessitated the birth of these different beliefs where but the origin is
one and the same? If religion can exist without the ceremonies, rituals and different beliefs then the
world is one and we will all be equipped to survive a world of temptations and tribulations because
there will be a common purpose. T o live a world of peace and bliss, a paradise. I have thought too of
the secularist, agnostics, atheist, those without religion. If the human mind cannot relax and be strong
in a place called religion, the human mind can relax and be strong too in a place called the heart. Will
religion matter if the heart is clean? I think religion matters if the heart is black. If the purpose of
religion is to arm our mind and soul with strength, a religious person who has darkened his heart has
defeated the purpose. So is religion goodness or is goodness religion? I think one can always ask his

mind relaxing in a place call religion or his mind at peace maintaining the cleanliness of the heart.