Релігія в часи пандемії: досвід Японії

Анотація

As in many other spheres of life, the adoption of digital technologies by religion has been significantly accelerated by the global COVID-19 pandemic. This article examines the adaptation of religious institutions, traditions, and holiday celebrations to increasingly digitalized conditions in the context of Japan, one of the most technologically advanced, yet culturally conservative, countries in the world. Due to the latter factor, the topic of digitalization in Japan remains relatively understudied, even while technology is rapidly adopted by Japanese temples as a response to the current crisis. This article reviews a number of ways religions in Japan are present online, including the websites of popular shrines, smartphone applications, online videos, and the social networks of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. It was found that religious institutions in Japan have successfully adapted the three main types of believer engagement with temples to digital conditions: religious celebrations, everyday visits, and visits before important life events, particularly in order to buy amulets. Each type of engagement has its own adaptation: celebrations are streamed live, tours are undertaken via photo and videographic reconstructions, and amulets are now often bought in digital form. Temples also actively use social networks for the daily support of believers.