How Japanese spirituality can help make everyday life more beautiful
6/8/202651 min
Growing up in Tokyo, Hiroko Yoda never thought of herself as religious, but after her mother died, she began exploring the spiritual traditions of her homeland.
She was inspired by the Shinto idea that there are '8 million spiritual beings', animating everything we encounter.
In the different practices of Shintoism, Buddhism, and Shugendo, Hiroko found practical means of emotional support, and also ways of making her everyday life more beautiful.
Further information
Hiroko Yoda's book is called Eight Million Ways to Happiness
This episode explores Japan, spirituality, psychology, Shintoism, Buddhism, Shugendo, family, grief, healing, religion, walking, parents, death, Tokyo, emotional support.
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Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSarah Kanowski· Host0:00
ABC Listen. Podcasts, radio, news, music, and more. Something like one million Australians visited Japan last year. It's a country that many of us have fallen in love with, partly because of the way its ancient traditions live right alongside a kind of hyper-modernity, a place where you'd catch sight of a geisha hurrying down a city street or pass a Shinto shrine tucked between towering skyscrapers. Hiroko Yoda was born and raised in Tokyo, and she went on to an international career as a translator, folklorist, and author. Then, a decade or so ago, Hiroko began a very personal exploration into the religious traditions of her homeland, which surprised no one more than her. Like many Japanese, Hiroko had never thought of herself as religious, but delving into Shinto, Buddhism, Shugendo, and more, Hiroko discovered a rich array of practices that brought new beauty and meaning to her everyday life. Her book, Eight Million Ways to Happiness, takes outsiders deep into the spiritual traditions that infuse Japanese culture. Hi, Hiroko. Welcome to Australia.
Hiroko Yoda· Guest1:20
Thank you so much. Uh, this is my first time to visit Australia. Um, I'm very, very excited and, uh, thank you, thank you for having me.