Japan’s temples adapt to declining populations
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Across Japan, temples are struggling to stay open as fewer people live in rural areas and traditional religious practices change.
Approximately 17,000 of the nation’s 77,000 temples lack a full-time priest because shrinking congregations and financial difficulties threaten their survival. Some temples, like the 370-year-old structure on the Chita Peninsula, are being dismantled and sold as homes. Tomomi Iwayama revived Ganshu-ji temple in Odawara by connecting with the local community and innovating.
He introduced a “smart graveyard” where robots retrieve ashes. However, he notes the greatest challenge is Japan’s shrinking population, which reduces both worshippers and income from traditional rites. Young people leaving rural areas for education and work further limit the number of potential congregants and future priests. Despite these challenges, Iwayama believes demand for Buddhism remains strong in Japan. He sees people seeking balance from the country’s fast-paced, technology-driven lifestyle.
Temples are responding by offering new experiences, such as cooking classes and meditation sessions, to attract visitors. American journalist Jake Adelstein, training to be an abbot at Zenshoin Temple in Tokyo, believes the problem isn't a loss of faith, but a decline in population and economic hardship making it difficult to maintain temples and their associated costs.
