Japanese have a Peculiar Sense of Beauty
Despite the fact that the original religion in Japan is Shinto, Christmas, Halloween and Valentine’s Day are also events that are celebrated. Recently, chapel weddings have overtaken traditional Japanese-style ceremonies as the most common style of wedding among Japanese. For Japanese, chapels have a bright image and romantic feel.
While the majority of Japanese belong to the Buddhist faith, most Japanese do not even know the date of Buddha’s birthday. Most Japanese only visit temples for funerals or memorial services. For Japanese, Buddhism has a dark image. Most Japanese are not Christian nor do they believe in Buddhism. They are merely utilizing these faiths as a reason to hold an event.
The Japanese practice of absorbing aspects of foreign cultures is based more on the atmosphere or looks, rather than thoughts, that the particular event, occasion or ritual has. In other words, this absorption of culture is usually based on whether Japanese feel it is fashionable or not. Buddhism might have been fashionable when it was introduced to Japan in the seventh century. The peculiar sense of beauty of the Japanese can not only be seen in areas of Japanese culture such as kimono and Japanese foods, but also in many foreign products.
Japanese are fond of German cars, and designer fashion brand products fly out of stores all over Japan. This is very likely because those products match the peculiar sense of beauty of the Japanese.