You’ll Never Look at Japan the Same Way Again

Let’s discuss the book “In The Megachurch” by Japanese author Ryo Asai, and discuss how and why this book made me second-guess everything about how Japan operates as a culture, economy and society.

MORE BOOK REVIEWS: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhUVeRCAdp72Wa_J80eO3I5FPLY_EOf0g

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21 Comments

  1. It makes sense to reference Megachurches in the title, since in a sense hardcore fandoms are essentially Megachurches in the way that they operate.

  2. So sad that what Christian are mostly cult and then that's why is Muslim religion Enters which is way worst
    hope Japan is able to filter out this religion out

    Japan is getting used by this religions and cult

    the largest church there that was part of the reason Abe got killed
    saw there practices of that religion they look like a large cult that's is too large to close

    just like in the Philippines also have the largest cult
    "Englesia Ni Christo" they meme called it "Englesia ni Manalo"

    when you read your bible and understand it you know there a cult
    they have there own ritual practices and verses translation where they bend the meaning of there verses to fit there religion
    verses and translation exclusive on there religion only

    cults starts when they make there own verses and translation of the bible including practices
    or when they bend the verses or stature to fit there religion

  3. I’ve thought about it for a while and also found that the idol industry and fandoms in general are extremely cult-like. Followers worship their idol/celebrity/crush like they are more than human, which will fundamentally lead to disappointment. Either the idol squashes their human nature and puts on a perfect persona indefinitely which entails keeping distant from followers and avoiding meaningful interactions where the mask’s cracks could be seen, or they end up falling from grace.

    I’ve noticed that people don’t seem to think about the indirect consequences of their actions because doing so would cause cognitive dissonance. For example, people who care about the environment will buy all this idol merchandise knowing that most of it will eventually end up in the trash as landfill waste. So they choose to just not think about it until they near the end of a sad and unfulfilling life with the sudden realization that they squandered their life for a comfortable lie.

    P.S. Many religious leaders like the Buddha Gautama, Jesus, and Muhammad specifically warned of idolatry, the practice of worshiping a non-deity as if they were a deity. They didn’t warn of this for no reason. They were simply intelligent and wise enough to understand human nature.

  4. Also can include the parasocial relations and the whole point of live streaming. I don't get how people can donate so much money to a single live streamer and be so loyal to someone that doesn't even knows them.

  5. Due to Japan having Shinto root that believe gods and deities are everywhere, monotheism wasn’t able to take hold of Japanese people ‘s faith. But on the other side of the coin, insecure Japanese people are more prone to cults and new religions due to a desperate need to communal belonging, a solution to problems in their lives, or at least a way to forget about all of their troubles.

    People have really gotten good at monetizing people’s mental weaknesses.

  6. The 'in a world without a god' thing. That's one theory anthropologists hold is the source of person-based religions. Like Abrahamic religions, hinduism, buddhism, norse, and all those with deities that are humanoid.

  7. After watching this video I realized. The amount Japan spends on the oshikatsu industry yearly (22 billion dollars) is more than the GDP of North Macedonia (21.6 billion dollars), a country of 1.8 million. As you say, they really do entrance people into a state of total monetary loyalty with this sort of marketing…

  8. For book recommendation I'd have to recommend my own dystopian novel, Destination Jane. Other than that maybe A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami. Or the book We by Zamyatin (an inspiration for 1984 and Brave New World). Maybe some poetry reviews about Charles Bukowski.

  9. I Love anime ,Japanese music and enjoy clips from the VTuber scene (mainly Hololive ID) but sometimes i am like Gintoki in 'The Love Choriss' arc with some of my friends when they are going too far with their obsessions with idols/VTuber or fendoms of any kind. It's alot worse when those fendoms are associated with Gacha.