This one thing makes Japan superior to other Asian countries.
Japan is undoubtedly the global exemplar of a Westernized nation without inheriting the apathetic attitude of godless Europeans. One can argue Japanese are pagans or atheists, but this betrays a deep ignorance of Bushido and its ancient roots.
Applying a Western standard for being an atheist to the Japanese will fail. The Western mind, and the rest of the world, should first grasp the uniqueness of Japan's culture before feudalism was abolished in 1870. Bushido was the 'official' operating system of Japan. Understood by Westerners as a military principle much like Christian Knighthood. Although it's foolish to say Bushido ceased to exist because of a political transition from feudalism.
Deep-rooted and powerful as is still the effect of Bushido, I have said that it is an unconscious and mute influence. - Inazo Nitobe, Bushido: The Soul Of Japan
Post-feudal Japanese inherited the knightly virtues. In many cases unknowingly. Their high sense of honor, almost worship even, is proof of that. Duty to family and country is notoriously evident in their work ethic. Labor for a Japanese isn't based on individual freedom nor a means to make money an American would understand it. Their worth of being is at stake. If the fruits of their work do not reflect what they've inherited from Bushido it would be akin to committing a Christian sin. Again, without consciously knowing it. Especially for the younger generations.
The atheist West idolizes the safety and cleanliness of the Japanese. Understandably so because they've managed to create a great civilization for themselves without a Christian government, so it seems. But Japanese worship of honor and ancestors, which they do unknowingly, has its faults. Their neglect of metaphysical training and sense of honor is responsible for their extreme sensitivity. Bushido is ultimately a man-made arbitrary set of principles. Granted, the Japanese followed the law written on their hearts as one of the best in the world, if not the best. European knights had the privilege of knowing Christ. Europe had the gift of Greek metaphysics and Hebrew history to ground morality in a being higher than men. The samurai did not.
Shinto and nationalism.
Modern Japanese sometimes perform Shinto rituals. They visit shrines when it suits them. Shinto ceased to be relevant politically with the end of World War 2. Shinto did not provide a code of conduct like Christianity does. Offerings were made for the safety of Japan, but it was never truly a religion. A national ethic is more accurate. Thus, Bushido acts as the Japanese's 'Ten Commandments'. So Japan doesn't worship gods like the Hindus do. This explains why India is chaotic whereas Japan is orderly.
Christian missionaries failed spectacularly by ignoring 'heathen records'. Missionaries claimed Christianity to be a new religion which did not sit well with the samurai. You can't rip out the deep roots of Bushido, whether good or bad, and expect people to follow. No. Christians must realize that the soul of Japan is in many ways similar to the former's ethics
It is an old, old story, which, if presented in intelligible words, that is to say, if expressed in the vocabulary familiar in the moral development of a people, will find easy lodgment in their hearts, irrespective of race or nationality. - Inazo Nitobe, Bushido: The Soul Of Japan
Japan is in many respects ideal.
Clean and safe streets
Universal politeness
Incredibly considerate
Exceptional work ethic
Homogenous
Politicians who don't actively hate Japan
But it has its flaws which are becoming a stereotype. Usually exaggerated but true at its core. Japan suffers from a lack of ultimate meaning. The pressure of excelling in school and their careers weigh heavily on our Nippon friends. It's not uncommon for them to emotionally break down when met with defeat. Without honor, there is no other comfort the world can offer. Suicide ''naturally'' becomes an option in this case.
A Christian lives with the same pressures albeit differently. Christians are content with the possibility of losing it all. Family, friends, reputation, finances, etc. In the end, we have our God Jesus Christ to comfort us in times of crisis. The near non-existence of metaphysics, as earlier stated, is at fault here for Japan. Neither philosophy nor theology could ever really flourish in Japan which denied the Japanese of knowing God. The Japanese have an extremely hard time coping with failure because worldly excellence is the highest virtue because, in their culture, there is no such thing as a God to lean on for your troubles.
Honor is the highest virtue which is inherited from Bushido. How asinine is it to degrade Japanese to mere pagans, adherents of Shintoism in the way Hindus are to Shiva? Bushido runs unfathomably deep in the Japanese as explained by Nitobe:
Scratch a Japanese of the most advanced ideas, and he will show a samurai. - Inazo Nitobe, Bushido: The Soul Of Japan
Bushido has vanished as a code of ethics. But its soul still remains strong in the descendants of samurai. Do you admire them for their cleanliness? Then all credit is due to their chivalric ethics similar to Christian knighthood.
Ages after, when its customaries will have been buried and its very name forgotten, its odors will come floating in the air as from a far-off, unseen hill. - Inazo Nitobe, Bushido: The Soul Of Japan
Christianity and Bushido not the same?
Comparing samurai to the knights triggers anti-Christians. They bring up examples of violent Parisian streets or meth junkies in Philadelphia, USA. These are false equivalents because the Biden admin is Jewish. European metropolitan areas are completely run by atheists and cultural Marxists. The West is being terrorized with literal boatloads of African and Muslim invaders, financed by Jewish NGOs. None of this is happening in Japan because its rulers don't hate their taxpayers.
Jewish Klaus Schwab, head of the WEF, publicly bragged about ''penetrating the cabinets'' and grooming the next generation of world leaders. The current state of the West is not a reflection of Christian ethics. Far from it.
Japan is fortunate enough to carry on the Bushido code in its soul. The samurai code still oozes in almost every aspect of their society, while Europe ceased to be Christian with the active deconstruction of the Church during Vatican 2 and the CIA's undermining of sexual morality. But one could argue it is thanks to the seeds of the Reformation. Japan's isolationist policies have prevented cataclysmic events like these. So the samurai's spiritual and social issues can be solved by converting to Christianity. From there, they should carry on as usual.
Excellently written