nntsuzu/KFTT huggingface dataset:
English: According to the tales, Shojo appeared in the sea, except for a tale in the topography "Urami Kanwa" written by Kofu Kinban-shi (the Kofu Service, Shigekata NODA) which says that Shojo appeared in Mt. Jizo-dake, west of Kofu (present Yamanashi Prefecture), and was shot by a huntsman.
Japanese: 江戸時代中期に甲府勤番士の著した地誌書『裏見寒話』では、山梨県の西地蔵岳で猟師が猩猩に遭って銃で撃った話があるが、そのほかの地域では猩猩はほとんど海に現れている。
English: The Shojo that appeared in Himi City and Shinminato City (present Imizu City) of Toyama Prefecture was only 1 meter in height and got on boats to sit at the bows.
Japanese: 富山県の氷見市や新湊市（現・射水市）の海に現れるという猩猩は、身長1メートルほどで、船に上がってきて舳先に腰をかけるという。
English: Sometimes six or seven Shojo barged into a boat and sailors had to bear their behavior hiding in the ship's bottom silently; when the sailors made a noise, the Shojo overturned the boat.
Japanese: ときには6、7匹も乗り込んでくるが、船乗りが驚いて騒いだりすると猩猩は船をひっくり返してしまうため、船乗りは黙って船底に打ち伏したという。
English: The Shojo in Suo-Oshima Island of Yamaguchi Prefecture had been considered as some ghost haunting boats; the Shojo called sailors from the bottom of the sea by saying "give me barrels", then the sailors broke the bottom of the barrels and threw them into the sea; if the sailors rejected the request, the Shojo cursed them, but if the sailors gave barrels with the contents, the Shojo got satisfied and sank the boat.
Japanese: 山口県周防大島でいう猩猩は船幽霊のように語られており、船に対して海底から「樽をくれ」と声をかけ、樽を投げ込まないと祟りがあるが、樽を投げ入れると船に水を入れられて沈められてしまうため、樽のそこを抜いて投げ込んでやるという。
English: In the Midori-ku Ward of Nagoya City (Aichi Prefecture) festivals are held, in which Shojo plays a major role.
Japanese: 愛知県の名古屋市緑区(名古屋市)を中心とする地域の祭礼には、猩猩が祭りに欠かせない。
English: In the past, Japanese called orangutan 'shojo猩猩', chimpanzee 'kuro-shojo黒猩猩' (literally, 'black shojo') and gorilla 'o-shojo大猩猩' (literally, 'big shojo').
Japanese: オランウータンの和名としても使われたのに合わせてチンパンジーの和名は黒猩猩（くろしょうじょう）、ゴリラの和名は大猩猩（おおしょうじょう）とされた。
English: The name of Japanese 'shojo-bae' (literally, 'shojo fly', means drosophila or vinegar fly) comes from the fly's feature of being attracted to alcohol like Shojo the heavy drinker.
Japanese: また、ショウジョウバエは、酒に誘引される性質から猩猩になぞらえて名づけられた。
English: Except for the fly, some creatures with vivid red color had been given the funny prefix 'shojo' after the color of Shojo's face.
Japanese: 他にも赤みの強い色彩を持つ生物には、しばしばショウジョウ......の名が付されることがある。
English: Long time ago, a dutiful son named Kofu ('waki' or the supporting role) living in Kinzan near Shinyo was told in his dream that he would become rich by selling alcohol; he opened a pub and his business thrived.
Japanese: むかし潯陽の傍ら金山に住む孝行者高風（ワキ）は、市に酒を売れば富貴の身になるであろうという夢の告げによって酒売りとなり、店は繁盛した。
English: There was a strange customer ('shite' or the leading role) who came to his pub every day and drank in a very cool manner, so one day Kofu asked him about his name, then the customer answered that he was Shojo living under water; and the customer left (the disappearance of the leading role from the stage is called 'naka-iri', and the leading role before the naka-iri is called 'mae-jite', after the naka-iri is called 'nochi-jite').
Japanese: その店に毎日やってきては酒を飲むが顔色の変わらない不思議な客（前シテ）がおり、その素性を高風がたずねたところ、自分は海中に住む猩々であると告げて立去った（中入り）。
English: Kofu was surprised, went to the river and put a saka-tsubo (pot of sake) on the river bank; he waited late into the night, then the Shojo appeared in front of Kofu; the Shojo drank with Kofu praising the effects of alcohol, got drunk, performed his mai (dance) of chu-no-mai (a moderate style of mai), and went back into the water.
Japanese: おどろいた高風が川のほとりに酒壷を供えて夜すがら待っていると、猩々があらわれ（後シテ）、酒の徳をたたえ、高風と酒を酌交して、酔態のまま舞を舞って（中之舞）ふたたび海中に帰ってゆくのであった。
English: In the Edo period, only a half of the whole performance of "Shojo" had been often performed as tsuke-shugen (additional performance at the end of a day's performance), therefore, at present, some schools including the famous Kanze School perform only 'nochi-ba' (the scene after the naka-iri; the scene before the naka-iri is called 'mae-ba') as the complete performance of "Shojo."
Japanese: 江戸期に付祝言として半能形式で上演されることが多かったため、現在では観世流などいくつかの流儀において、半能形式の後場だけで一曲となっている。
English: In such "Shojo" (the nochi-ba of the original "Shojo"), usually the nochi-jite performs the mai alone, however, by kogaki (stage direction), sometimes a tsure (supporting actor) plays Shojo as well and two Shojo perform tsure-mai (dance by two performers); the kogaki referring to the tsuremai is different by schools, such as 'so-no-mai' (Kanze School and Konparu School), 'wago' (Hosho School), 'wago-no-mai' (Kongo School), and 'ninin-midare' (Kita School).
Japanese: 後シテが一人で舞うのが常の型だが、「双之舞」（観世・金春）、「和合」（宝生）、「和合之舞」（金剛）、「二人乱」（喜多）などの小書がつくと、シテとツレの二人の猩々を出し、連舞になる。
English: By the kogaki of 'oki-tsubo' (Kanze and Kongo) or 'tsubo-dashi' (Kita), the performer does the acts of drawing sake from the saka-tsubo with a dipper.
Japanese: 「置壺」（観世・金剛）、「壺出」（喜多）の小書では、正先の壷から柄杓で酒を酌む型が加わる。
English: Originally the mai of "Shojo" was to be a chu-no-mai, however, at present, the performer usually dances the mai of 'midare' (an intense style of mai) except a stage debut of a young performer, and the title of the performance is changed to "Shojo Midare" or "Midare."
Japanese: 舞は中之舞が常であるが、実際にはこれで演じられることは少年の初シテなどの特殊な場合をのぞけばほとんどなく、乱の小書つきに変る（その場合、曲名を「猩々乱乱特有の囃子と舞」もしくは「乱」とする）。
English: The midare is a special style of mai which is performed only in "Shojo" and in "Sagi", and the performer dances the midare with the special hayashi (accompaniment) in the middle of the chu-no-mai.
Japanese: 乱は「猩々」と「サギ」にしかない特殊な舞で、中之舞の中央部分に乱特有の囃子と舞を挿入するかたちになっている。
English: The performer expresses the Shojo's peculiar movements like sliding on the water, with the special steps called 'nuki-ashi', 'midare-ashi' and 'nagare-ashi' (the performer of Shojo never stamps) and by bending and shaking of the head.
Japanese: 水上をすべるように動く猩々の様を見せるために足拍子を踏まず、ヌキ足、乱レ足、流レ足といった特殊な足使いをし、さらに上半身を深く沈めたり、頭を振るしぐさが加わる。
English: In the Noh performances, the performers do not dance on tiptoes except for performing with the step of the midare-ashi in the midare.
Japanese: 能において爪先立ちして舞を舞うのは、乱の流レ足くらいにしか見られない特殊な例である。
English: Therefore, the acquisition of the midare is considered to be important at the training, and the first performance of the midare is even considered to be the performer's debut.
Japanese: このため、乱は能楽師の修行の過程において、重要な階梯であると考えられ、初演を披きとして重く扱う。
English: The performer of Shojo wears an aka-gashira (red wig), an aka-ji-karaori (red gorgeous short-sleeved kimono) and a hi-okuchi-bakama (pleated loose-fitting trousers colored with scarlet) or an aka-ji-hangiri-bakama (red extremely gorgeous pleated loose-fitting trousers), so the costume is all red except for the tabi.
Japanese: 出立は赤頭、赤地唐織、緋大口（または赤地の半切）で、足袋以外はことごとく赤である。
English: The normal aka-gashira wigs have a wisp of white hair, but the aka-gashira wig for the performers of "Shojo" and "Shakkyo" is all red hair.
Japanese: 頭については、通常の赤頭は白毛を一筋加えたものを用いるが、「猩々」と「石橋(能)」に限って赤毛のみの頭を使うとされている。
English: The form of the Shojo is made of bamboo, and it is put a red mask and a large costume.
Japanese: 猩々人形は赤い顔の面と上半身分の竹枠組みで出来ておりその上から衣装で覆う。
English: "Religions of Japan" describes religions in Japan.
Japanese: 日本の宗教（にほんのしゅうきょう）では、日本における宗教を解説する。
English: According to 'Annual Statistics of Religion' (Shukyo Nenkan) issued by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, there are around 106 million Shintoists, around 96 million Buddhists, around 2 million Christians, and around 11million followers of other religions in Japan, adding up to 215 million people, or nearly twice the total population of Japan, belonging to any religion.
Japanese: 日本における宗教の信者数は、文化庁「宗教年鑑」によると、神道系が約1億600万人、仏教系が約9,600万人、キリスト教系が約200万人、その他約1,100万人、合計2億1,500万人となり、日本の総人口の2倍弱の信者数になる。
English: This is because many Japanese people engage in rituals of multiple religions, holding the seven-five-three festival and other seasonal festivals at shrines and visiting shrines at the beginning of the New Year based on annual events and rituals developed in the natural climate from ancient ethnic religions of Japan, and by the influence of the temple guarantee system in the Edo period, holding funerals and bon festivals (a festival of the dead or Buddhist all soul's day) with Buddhist rites.
Japanese: これは、日本古来の民族信仰の基盤の上に、自然風土の中で培われた年中行事や、祭礼などを通じて、多くの日本人が七五三や初詣、あるいは季節の祭りを神社で行い、江戸時代の寺請制度の影響で、葬式や盆などを仏教式で行うなど、複数の宗教にまたがって儀礼に参加しているためである。
English: People become a member of a religion by baptism in other countries, while those who worship a god of a religion are deemed to be a believer of that religion in Japan, (where many people are shrine parishioners and Buddhist parishioners at the same time).
Japanese: 他国では洗礼を受けた時点でその宗教の信者に成るのに対し、日本ではその宗教の神を拝めば信者とみなす（氏子であり檀家でもある者などが多くいる）。
English: Therefore, Japanese people who worship deities and Buddha equally belong to multiple religions.
Japanese: そのため、神や仏を同等に崇拝する日本人は複数の宗教を掛け持つ形となる。
English: Shinto does not have a clearly defined dogma (Note: Religious sects of Sect Shinto [new religions] have concrete dogmas.)
Japanese: 神道は明確な教義が存在しない（注：教派神道系のセクト宗教(新宗教)には明確な教義が存在する）。
English: There are thus no strict rules to join Shinto, but they are usually considered to be believers if they install a household Shinto altar, make offerings to shrines, and participate in rituals.
Japanese: その為、厳密な入信規定などは神道に存在しないが、神棚の設置、神社への寄付、祭事への参加などをもって信者と見る向きが多い。
English: The custom of bringing a baby to the deity of the clan (ujigami) after birth may be interpreted as a kind of baptism of other religions, which gives the membership of Shinto.
Japanese: また生後の氏神参りを他宗教でいう洗礼とみなし、これをもって神道の一員になるという解釈も出来る。
English: Buddhism that was popular in the Kamakura period (Kamakura Buddhism) served as the basis of today's Mahayana Buddhism with profound influence in Japanese history, and has been followed by many people up to the present day.
Japanese: 鎌倉時代に普及した仏教（鎌倉仏教）が今日のものの礎となっており、日本の歴史に深く影響を与え、現在にいたるまで信者数も多い。
English: On the whole, this is based on the faith in the founder with few strict principles, so that there are few open disputes with other religions.
Japanese: 全体的に教祖信仰的な趣が強く、戒律も厳しくなく、他宗派との表だった論争も少ない。
English: Those who become priests are supposed to be formally recognized as Buddhists, but many Japanese enter the Buddhist priesthood by receiving posthumous Buddhist names at their own funerals.
Japanese: 本来は出家することで正式な仏教徒となるが、多くの日本人の場合は自身の葬儀の場において戒名を得ることにより仏門に入る。
English: Buddhist schools in other countries, such as Tibetan Buddhism, are not supported by the public, except by some intellectuals, and have a very weak presence.
Japanese: ちなみに、チベット仏教などの諸外国の仏教は、一部のインテリ層には支持されているものの、大衆からの支持は得られておらず、存在感はきわめて薄い。
English: Since the syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism has been seen for a long time in Japan, there is no clear line between the two.
Japanese: 日本では長く神仏習合が行われたため、神道と仏教の間には明確な境界線が存在しない。
English: For example, many families with a household Shinto altar also have a Buddhist altar, belonging to two religions at the same time.
Japanese: 例えば、神棚を祀っている家庭には仏壇があることが多く、2つの宗教に同時に入信している家庭が多い。
English: This is why Shintoists and Buddhists are said to total more than 200 million people.
Japanese: これが、神道と仏教で信者を合わせると2億人を超えると言われる所以である。
English: From another point of view, it is more natural to assume that in Japan one religion has been created through a harmonious combination of Shinto and Buddhism than to consider the two have existed separately.
Japanese: 考え方を変えると、神道と仏教という二つの宗教が日本に存在したと捉えるのではなく、渾然一体となった宗教が一つあったと捉えるほうが自然であるともいえる。
English: Historically as well as presently, Shinto and Buddhism share functions and it can be said that the two come together to create a single religious notion.
Japanese: 歴史的に見ても現在においても、神道と仏教はその機能を分担して担っており、両者をあわせて一つの宗教観を構成しているともいえる。
English: In addition to these two religions, Confucianism has also left its mark mainly on funerals and the view of life and death, although it is less often cited as a religion.
Japanese: 加えて、宗教として意識されることは少ないが、葬儀、死生観を中心に儒教も大きな影響を残している。
English: The idea of ancestors' spirits, based on ancient folk religion and Confucianism, fundamentally conflicts with Buddhist philosophy, but is now incorporated into Buddhism.
Japanese: 先祖霊などの観念は現在では仏教に組み込まれているが、本来は仏教哲学と矛盾するものであり、古来の民間信仰と儒教に由来する。
English: Confucianism was studied for its morals and ethics mainly by the ruling class, and after the Meiji period, its influence was directly and indirectly exerted on the ordinary people.
Japanese: 思想、道徳としての儒学は支配階級を中心に学ばれ、明治以降は一般庶民にも直接、間接に影響を与えた。
English: Folk religions are generally based on animism, and this aspect appears prominently in the previous belief style in sacred rock (iwakura) or mountain before the building for worship was constructed, and many of them changed their forms under the influence of syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism to be passed down to today (e.g., Doso-shin [traveler's guardian deity], Jizo Bosatsu [Ksitigarbha], and Ebisu worship).
Japanese: これらは主にアニミズムを基盤としており社殿以前の磐座や山岳信仰などに顕著であるが、神仏習合の影響も受け形を変えて受け継がれているものも多い（道祖神と地蔵菩薩、えびす信仰など）。
English: Shugendo (mountaineering asceticism), the Way of Yin and Yang and others have developed to go beyond Buddhism and Shinto under the influence of Esoteric Buddhism, and these religions were used to to pray for repose of vengeful spirits in sacred spirit service (goryoe) and other occasions from the expectation for the manifestation of mantra dharani (commandment of true words) or the power of Buddhism attained by accumulated virtues.
Japanese: 密教などの影響を受け仏教や神道の枠に収まりがたい発展を遂げた宗教には修験道、陰陽道などがあり、真言陀羅尼や功徳を積んだ法力への期待から御霊会など怨霊の鎮魂を担っていた。
English: Meanwhile, Soka Gakkai, or a new religious body of Nichiren Shoshu sect (but it is excommunicated by the sect at present), which is the power base of one of the governing parties, the New Komeito Party, officially announced that 8.27 million heads of families belong to the body, but a poll and other survey show there are estimated to be 4 million believers.
Japanese: 一方、政権政党である公明党の支持母体の日蓮正宗系（但し、現在は破門）新宗教団体創価学会の入信者数は教団の公式発表で827万世帯、世論調査などから割り出した推計数で400万人と言われている。
English: Christians account for 0.8 percent of the total population and this figure has never been more than one percent, except for a period right after Francis XAVIER conducted missionary work.
Japanese: キリスト教の信徒は全人口の0.8パーセント記号で、フランシスコ・ザビエルによる布教直後の一時期を除き、全人口の1%を超えたことはない。
English: The figure is extraordinary low compared with the whole of Asia as well as developed countries mainly in Europe and the United States, and those involved in Christianity in Japan once described this situation as "the wall of one percent."
Japanese: 欧米を中心とする先進諸国は勿論、アジア全体と比較しても異例の低比率のため、日本のキリスト教関係者は、かつてこれを「1%の壁」と形容していたこともある。
English: Many Christian groups (Protestant churches in particular) in Japan are smaller in scale when compared to those in Europe, the United States, and South Korea, while the Catholic Church has the largest number of members.
Japanese: 日本のキリスト教団体の多くは、ヨーロッパ・アメリカ合衆国・韓国に比して小規模で（特にプロテスタント教会）、信徒数の多い教派の第一位はカトリック教会である。
English: There is also a 'Non-church movement' to advocate facing the Bible alone at home without belonging to any specific church (famous leaders include Kanzo UCHIMURA and Shigeru NANBARA).
Japanese: また、特定の教会には属さず、自宅で聖書とのみ対峙する、「無教会運動」（指導者として内村鑑三や南原繁などが有名）がある。
English: It is also noted that a Protestant evangelical group depends more on 'the Bible faith' than other Christian groups in Europe and the United States.
Japanese: また、プロテスタントの中で福音派と呼ばれるグループは、欧米圏のキリスト教に比べて「聖書信仰」という側面が強いという特徴が指摘されている。
English: The Greek Orthodox Church (Japan Orthodox Church) is believed to have some 10,000 followers in Japan, which is fewer than the number of Islamic believers.
Japanese: なお、ギリシャ正教（日本正教会）の信徒数は日本では1万人前後とみられ、数的にはイスラム教以下である。
English: However, annual events are acknowledged by the general public, regardless of whether they are Christians, so Christianity is deeply accepted.
Japanese: ただし、年中行事などは信徒であるなしに関わらず一般的に認知されており、キリスト教に対する理解は深い。
English: It is said the number of Muslims has continued to gradually increase since the late 1990s, which is thought to be due to those who convert to Islam after marrying people from the Middle East.
Japanese: 1990年代後半から徐々に増加傾向にあるといわれるが、これは中東出身者との結婚で改宗した人々が影響していると思われる。
English: In the Meiji period and after World War II, various new religions emerged in Japan.
Japanese: 明治時代および第二次世界大戦後には日本国内で様々な新興宗教が登場した。
English: New religions are still being created and this situation is referred to as 'rush hour of the gods.'
Japanese: 新宗教は、現在においても新たに作られており、その状況は「神々のラッシュアワー」と呼ばれている。
English: So many religious schools have appeared that few religions and schools have gained sufficient followers.
Japanese: しかし、あまりに数多くの宗派が発生した為に、どの宗教宗派も大量の信者を獲得しているとはいいがたい。
English: One view says that the Soka Gakkai has become a force through enthusiastic invitation activities, but it has only 8.27 million families nominally and and actual count of only 4 million people.
Japanese: 一説では、創価学会はその熱狂的な勧誘活動によって一大勢力を築いているといわれるが、それでも公称827万世帯、実勢400万人となっている。
English: Originally syncretism of Shinto and Buddhism was widely seen from the Heian period until the Meiji restoration, and Shinto and Buddhism were not distinguished from each other as a general rule.
Japanese: もともと日本においては、平安時代から明治維新以前は神仏習合が一般的で、神道と仏教が分けられない場合が一般的だった。
English: The syncretism left traces, such as the torii (an archway to a Shinto shrine) in precincts of temples or the deity with the name of 'Hachiman Daibosatsu' (Great Bodhisattava Hachiman), in which a name for a shrine deity (Hachiman) is connected with a name of Buddha (Daibosatsu).
Japanese: 寺院内に鳥居があったり、「八幡大菩薩」と神社の神を仏の呼び方で呼ぶ事例などに名残を見る事ができる。
English: Kamakura Buddhism became widespread, but it is likely that ordinary people believed in it as a kind of 'God' to escape from the suffering in the world, (but it should be remembered, of course, that there are always avid followers in any age).
Japanese: 鎌倉仏教が普及したとは言え、一般庶民にとっては、現世での辛さを紛らす一種の「神」として信仰していたと言える（無論、どの時代にも熱心な信者がいることを忘れてはいけない）。
English: In the Edo period, for the purpose of family registration control the public were required to belong to a temple of any sect or a shrine, which gave rise to various customs but those customs have become less common today.
Japanese: 江戸時代に戸籍管理を目的として、仏教宗派のいずれかの寺院か、神社への帰属が義務付けられた事によって様々な習慣が生まれたが、今は希薄となっている。
English: Seven-five-three festivals and wedding ceremonies came to be held in a shrine, not due to a religious census, but after the Meiji period.
Japanese: また、七五三や結婚式が神社で行われるようにったのは明治以後のことで、宗門改めが起因ではない。
English: "Night Talks of the venerable Mr. Sontoku Ninomiya" (Ninomiya-o Yawa) contains the following allegory of religious pluralism.
Japanese: 二宮尊徳の話をまとめた『二宮翁夜話』という書物には、宗教多元主義を示す次のような譬え話も含まれている。
English: There is only one sheer truth in this world, but there are many gates to the truth.
Japanese: 「世の中に本当の真理はただ一つしかないが、その真理に近づく入り口はいくつもある。
English: Shinto and Buddhism, or even various sects of Buddhism, such as Tendai-shu sect, Jodo-shu sect (the Pure Land sect), and Shingon-shu sect, are all nothing more than names of paths to the many gates to the truth.
Japanese: 神道、仏教、あるいは仏教でも天台宗、浄土宗、真言宗などいろいろあるが、これらは何れも、いくつもある真理への入り口に付いている小道の名前に過ぎない。
English: You can climb Mt. Fuji from any starting point at Yoshida, Subashiri, and Suyama, but you will eventually reach the summit and find yourself in the same place.
Japanese: 例えば富士山に登るのに、吉田から、須走りから、須山から、それぞれ登れるが、最終的に頂上に至れば同じ所である。
English: It is wrong to think there are different paths leading to different destinations.
Japanese: これを、違う目的に到達できる別々の道がある、と考えるのは誤りである。
English: But, people say there are different paths and more than one truth.'
Japanese: ところが世の中では、これらを別々な道であると言い、真理が幾つもあるように言っている。」
English: Writer Ryunosuke AKUTAGAWA made a character in one of his short stories say things to the effect that efforts to plant any religion in Japan would not be rewarded because Japanese people had had a unique view of religion to revere 'eight million different deities' since ancient times, which can be found in Shinto, Buddha and Jesus Christ being considered to be one of these deities in Japan.
Japanese: 作家の芥川龍之介は、日本にいくら宗教を根付かせようとしても無理なのは、日本が古来から「八百万の神」を崇める、神道などに見られる独特の宗教観を持つからで、釈迦もイエス・キリストも日本にくれば神々の一人という扱いになる、といった主旨のことをある短編作品の登場人物に語らせている。
English: At the same time, he called it 'the ability to recreate' that Japanese people made foreign thoughts to change into their own thoughts.
Japanese: また同時に、日本人が海外の思想に変化を加えて自分のものにする様子を「造りかへる力」とも表現している。
English: Writer Motohiko IZAWA explains that in Japan there are unconscious and strong belief in 'vengeful spirits' and faith in 'harmony' to prevent the vengeful spirits from coming into this world, and on this foundation Shinto was established, while Buddhism turned out to be used as a tool to appease these vengeful spirits.
Japanese: 作家の井沢元彦は、日本には無意識の強烈な「怨霊」信仰と、怨霊を発生させない「和」への信仰があり、神道はその上に成立し、仏教も結局は怨霊を鎮魂する為の道具として活用されたと解説している。
English: Foreign visitors to Japan and the Japanese who become avid religious followers say they can see that many Japanese people unconsciously have an idea of placing supreme importance on 'harmony.'
Japanese: 来日した外国人や、熱心な宗教信者となった日本人は、多くの日本人が無意識の内に「和」を至上のものとする思想をもつことを見出すことができるという。
English: With regards to the afterlife, Japanese think 'one returns to nothing (nature) regardless of whether one did good or bad in one's lifetime' based on the Shinto perspective that human beings are part of nature, but also think one undergoes training under Shakyamuni after his/her death to 'become a Buddha' (entering Nirvana) from a Buddhist viewpoint.
Japanese: 日本人の死後の世界観としては、神道的な観点から人間も自然の一部と考えるため「生前の行いの善悪にかかわらず無に（自然）還る。」という考えや、仏教的な観点から死後釈迦の下で修行をし「仏に成る（成仏）」という考えがある。
English: Based on these religious perspectives, Japanese people think 'we should not speak ill of the deceased.'
Japanese: 日本人の「死んだ人を悪く言うもんではない」という考え方はこのような宗教的観点からきている。
English: However, the idea that the good go to heaven while the wicked go to hell is also common, so it is not that whatever misdeeds one has committed, one is justified (unpunished) after death.
Japanese: しかし、善人は天国へ行き、悪人は地獄へ落ちるという考え方も一般的なので、どんな悪行をはたらいても死んだら無罪（無罰）という訳ではない。
English: Meanwhile, there is also an idea that spirits remain in this world, although traditional dogmas say little about the idea, and stories of ghosts and spirits have been often talked about by the public and get around as urban legends even today.
Japanese: ただ一方では現世に留まる霊魂の観念もあり伝統教義ではあまり説かれないが、幽霊・亡霊などの怪談はしばしば民衆の口に上り、現代でも都市伝説として流布することがある。
English: In an opinion poll on religion, conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun on August 6 and 7, 2005, 75 percent answered they do not have faith in religion, while 23 percent answered they do, which is a 11 percent decline from 34 percent in the 1979 survey.
Japanese: なお、読売新聞が2005年8月6日、7日に行った宗教に関する世論調査では、宗教を信じないと答えた人が75%に上り、信じていると答えた人は23%と、1979年の調査の34%と比べて11%減っている。
English: In Japan, many people participate in Shintoist and Buddhist festivals, some companies have a household Shinto altar, and services, such as praying for safety, are often held beyond religious boundaries of Shinto, Buddhism, Christianity etc.
Japanese: 日本では神道、仏教などの祭りに参加するものも多く、企業では神棚を設置する所があり、神道、仏教、キリスト教など宗教を超えて安全祈願などの礼拝を行う事がある。
English: Although there are few Christians, Christmas, Valentine's Day, church wedding, Halloween, etc. are well known as events, and companies actively utilize these events to increase sales.
Japanese: また、キリスト教の信徒が少数であるにもかかわらず、イベントとしてのクリスマス、バレンタインデー、教会結婚式、ハロウィン等の認知度は高く、企業も売上のために積極的に利用している。
English: Because people other than Christians do not perceive these events as religious rites, they easily associate Christmas with gifts from Santa Claus, Christmas trees, and cakes, and Valentine's Day with nothing more than an important romantic event.
Japanese: しかし、キリスト教徒を除けばこれらに宗教行事としての印象は持っておらず、クリスマスは、サンタクロースの贈り物、ツリーやケーキを連想し、バレンタインは恋愛をする上で重要なイベントというぐらいでしか認知されていない。
English: Church weddings are said to be chosen because brides want to walk down the church aisle, but after the ceremony less than one percent go to pray in church.
Japanese: 教会結婚式は、バージンロードを花嫁が選択するといわれており、その後に教会に行って祈る人は1%もいない。
English: Christian rites are carried out according to seasons, and Japanese people accepted the rites, not being involved in Christian faith at all.
Japanese: キリスト教行事は時節により行われているが、信仰とはまったく関係ないにもかかわらず受け入れられている。
English: The majority of Japanese people today lack a sense of belonging to religions, and many Japanese also consider themselves to have 'no religion,' although they actually engage in religious rituals.
Japanese: 現代の日本人の大多数は、宗教に対する帰属意識は薄く、実際には宗教儀礼に参加しているにもかかわらず自分のことを「無宗教」と考える日本人も多い。