Although only around 1-2% of Japanese report themselves as Christians, the cultural footprint of Christianity in Japan is much larger. When I first arrived in Japan I found myself pressed into service playing “Santa-san” for a friendly local Baptist church, and there are many Christian hospitals and “mission-kei” schools in Japan, too. (My daughter attends one.) They’re less common, but there are similar Buddhist facilities in Japan as well. Once I had to go to the hospital because of a knee injury, and the one we chose to was a nearby Buddhist hospital, which was interesting to me specifically for that reason. I also used to teach English at a Buddhist preschool, which was a learning experience. It was just a preschool, the same as any other, but one that exposed the kids to the teachings of Buddha and respect for their ancestors. When Christmas rolled around I also played Santa Claus at that school, too, which made the kids happy, though it felt really strange to mix cultures like that.
