Hey, Nostalgia here! I’ve loved Japanese music since I was in middle school and this whole blog was created to explore and share Japan’s music and the theory behind it. When I come across unexpected trends, I can’t help but be curious as to why it is so popular in Japan. And today, I’m exploring Japan’s unexpected obsession with black gospel music.
Since 2023, when I was born again and came back to my faith more seriously, this blog has taken a turn to bring more attention to Japanese Christian artists. If you didn’t know, Japan has a 1-2% Christian population, so you wouldn’t expect them to have many Japanese Christian artists or bands, and it’s hard to find them since no one is really promoting them. But if you’re like me and you just love how different and unique Japanese music is, of course you would hope to find some replacements to the Jpop and anime music you love. Thus, I rolled up my sleeves and began my search, hoping to at least find 15, maybe even 20, but in the end, I found over 100!
But a couple days ago, I was doing research on a totally different topic, and an article caught my eye in the search results, “God is using gospel music to draw Japanese people to himself“. I was like, ‘wait, hold up….gospel music is trending there? Since when? Why? How?? Huh????’
The article was actually quite informative stating that Japanese people are drawn to gospel choirs, and while they aren’t Christians when they join, the churches would teach them the meanings of the songs, the pastor would shepherd over them, and they would hope and pray God would reach them through the prayer.
In general, I agree with most Christians in that people who aren’t saved or aren’t even in Christian shouldn’t be in ministry because they ‘can’t worship in spirit and in truth’ and you’re giving potential wolves a platform and they could lead others astray and so on. I rebuked the pastor of a church i served at for paying a muslim to play keyboard just because he was desperate for musicians. Her mother was there for her first visit so I was the one asking and they shared that with me, made me sick. The pastor claimed he didn’t know, but he really should be vetting people so we can create sweet incense for God.
HOWEVER, I also know that the bible instructs us to ‘let the wheat and tares grow together until the harvest’ (Matthew 13:30) thus we shouldn’t kick fake or non-Christians out of the church as they still serve a purpose. Paul also says “notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice” (Philippians 1:18), thus we don’t have to get so riled up when a secular musician decides to release a Christian song, nor if an influencer starts spreading the gospel for views and money. As we’ve seen with Judas, he was still able to heal the sick and cast out demons alongside the other disciples, even though we know he never believed in Jesus nor saw Him as his Lord. This proves that even if a person lacks of faith or isn’t spiritually pure, they can’t get in the way of God reaching His sheep. A pastor who later falls away was never saved (1 John 2:19), but as long as they were preaching from the word of God, they could have still planted seeds that helped others get saved.
When I was first saved, I was initially quite annoyed at the various questionable things going on in churches and all the fake preachers who had such large fanbases, but then I re-read the conversation Jesus had with Peter before He left this earth in John 21. Jesus just told Peter how he would die for Him, and then Peter asks Jesus about John (the two had a rivalry the whole time, it’s actually pretty funny, especially when you learn they were quite young), but Jesus asks him, ‘what’s it to you?’. We’re told to mind our business, to avoid striving and arguing about things that don’t edify, and to just love our brethren and maintain peace as much as possible. While I was always an argumentative kid who loved to prove others wrong, God has certainly changed me. I’m too focused on the plank in my eyes to be concerned about the speck in others (Matthew 7).
So back to this topic, Japan is also a really hard country to reach with the gospel. So hard that it’s called the “Missionary Graveyard” as people are generally unsuccessful at converting people…but one thing Japan really loves is music. Japan has the 2nd biggest music industry in the world, which is really impressive when you consider their size. Not only do they have a lot of artists and bands, but they have so many genres, some original, some borrowed, and some unique creations and hybrids. So hey, if they aren’t interested enough to hear about the bible, perhaps we can still make them listen to the gospel through music.
According to this other article by Tuscaloosa News titled “Choir brings Japanese flavor to gospel music“, they start the article by stating “About 2 percent of Japan’s population is Christian, according to the CIA World Factbook. The overwhelming majority of the populace — 72 percent to 84 percent — practices Shintoism, Buddhism or a combination of both. Yet gospel music has become one of the country’s most popular new music genres.”
In the middle of the article is a very encouraging part. “I discovered that there was a fascination with gospel music in Japan made popular because of Hollywood, but they just sang the music and didn’t understand its deeper meaning. We exclaimed during the workshop that it wasn’t just music, but the gospel of Jesus. I then asked did any of them want to be saved and over 50 percent of them that night prayed to receive Jesus. Through the gospel music ministry we have there, we’ve saved over 2,000 people in Japan since then.”“
So yes, gospel music is big in Japan and people are being converted through it, but that still left a question in my mind…How did they even stumbled across this music to begin with? It doesn’t make logical sense to me cause 1. Japan isn’t a Christian country, and 2. Gospel music is a very ‘black’ thing only really found in ‘black churches’. If we were talking about CCM music, I wouldn’t be surprised as most churches play them and Hillsong and Bethel have global churches as well….but Gospel?
Up to this point, there were only a couple times I was aware black gospel at least reached Japan. The first was this trending video long ago from long ago showcasing The Glory Gospel Singers performing the Evangelion theme song “A Cruel Angel’s Thesis” on a Japanese broadcast. The next was when I was writing my Japanese Christian artist article and I came across people like Ronnie Rucker, a black artist who had a Japanese choir backing him…but neither of those things would give me the impression black gospel music was trending. It’s just black people taking their culture and their musical preferences wherever they go, right? At least that was my assumption.
And just in case you’re on your phone and can’t see my side column with my intro and photos, I AM BLACK, so it’s not like I’m hating that Japan likes black music, quite the contrary. Not only did I grow up with gospel at home and in my church, and loved artists like Kirk Franklin, Cece Winans, Donnie McClurkin, James Fortune, and so on, but I also love when our culture is appreciated. Anything or anytime when black people can have a positive impression, especially on a group who doesn’t see us much and are quite ignorant about us, I’m all for it.
But again, my only question is how and why? Even if it was trending, it takes a lot to create a choir. You need people who know it well enough to direct it, and you need a good amount of people who enjoy it enough to dedicate themselves to learning and singing it in a choir. Like Japanese music, gospel music isn’t something where you can just find chord sheets or tutorials. It requires a lot of feel and expression, it requires boldness and is quite loud, all of which is quite opposite to Japan’s quiet, timid nature. So I adjust my glasses and started to investigate this odd phenomenon.
How the Gospel Boom Started in Japan
Through my research, there seems to be phases when it comes to the gospel entering Japan. According to the same Tuscaloosa News article in my intro, they indicate that it was first introduced to Japan in the late 1950s when the “Queen of Gospel” Mahalia Jackson performed there. Below is a video from a Japanese broadcast that talks a bit more about Mahalia Jackson and her worldwide success.
Since Mahalia, various other gospel artists also performed in Japan; however, it doesn’t seem like the genre really caught on just yet. Every other source credits the boom to 2 main reasons:
1. The “Sister Act” Phenomenon
According to Google, the 1992 film “Sister Act” and it’s 1994 sequel ‘sparked a massive national fascination with African-American gospel choir traditions’. I did a little extra research to see why was it so popular, and it really boiled down to the music featured in the film.
The movie was both subbed and dubbed, but the Japanese title is “Tenshi ni Rabusongu wo… (天使にラブ・ソングを…), which translates loosely to “A Love Song for the Angels…” since Japanese people wouldn’t understand what ‘Sister’ means in a religious sense.
As I was doing a little more research on the movie, I also learned that the Sister Act stage musical has been adapted and performed live in Japanese at major venues like the Tokyo Theatre Orb and Imperial Theatre!
One thing I already know about Japan is that they love high energy, they love full bands and a variety of instruments, they love cool and complex chord progressions, crazy vocals and harmonies, and they’re just so creative with their music, so it’s not a surprise to me that black gospel music is right up their alley. Afterall, gospel music often combines a variety of traditionally black genres like blues, jazz, R&B, hip hop and so on, and both the instruments and the voices add to the hype of the genre.
A little off topic, only because I’m curious if others have actually witnessed this in real life. More recently, Camp Rock 3 came out. I grew up watching all the famous Disney Original musicals like High School Musical, Lemonade Mouth, Camp Rock, etc, so of course I checked it out. I then watched a few reviews to see what others thought about it, and stumbled across one person also reviewing Let It Shine which I also watched ages ago. One thing that made me snicker this time around was the hip hop dancing in the film. My church had a gospel choir, but they would do the basic clapping, swaying, and raising of hands. My church had worship dancers too, but they did more contemporary liturgical dances, so I could totally understand the main character’s father, who is the pastor, thinking it’s a little too worldly for church. Regardless, I know this is a fictional movie, so I assumed they were just being bold and crazy for the sake of the plot…until I saw Sister Act doing a same thing 15 year prior. So now I really have to know if this is a thing. Have you ever seen these kind of performances at your local church? Please let me know, I’m so curious!
2. Gospel Lessons Are Offered At Institutions
I’ve written a whole article about Japan’s music education and how all students grow up taking music and appreciating it, thus why they have more real bands and orchestras, and I’ll get more into that later in this article, but apparently, after the success of Sister Act, ‘Yamaha and other institutions commercialized the trend by opening hundreds of gospel-singing classes and community choirs across Japan’ (Google). According to Academia, 7000 people initially participated in gospel singing classes by Yamaha within 10 years!
It was hard to look directly into gospel choirs as general choirs are also popular, but here’s a clip of a black lady (dNessa) being brought in for a Japan vocal workshop with various ages.
My Thoughts On Why It Spread So Easily
Okay so, we understand how it entered Japan and how people learned it, but why would it be a lasting trend? After all, the movie came out a good 30+ years ago, and it’s not like they have any spiritual connection to the music. Trends come and go in most cases, so there must be something that has led to gospel’s continued success all this time. Other articles don’t really cover this, so here’s my theories on why such a spiritual genre somehow put it’s foot in the door and made it’s home there.
1. Japan’s Religious Apathy
(Aka While Gospel is “Christian”, They Don’t Attach The Activity with the Religion. If They Like Something, They Will Adopt It)
In general, when it comes to religion, Japan is both open and apathetic towards it. What I mean by that is, there’s no banned religions nor is faith being actively persecuted there, and yet, despite having religious freedom, Japanese people aren’t interested in it. The majority of Japanese people consider themselves non-religious, which sounds odd considering their whole culture is rooted in Buddhism and Shintoism, but that just goes to show how unattached they are to anything regarding ‘faith’ and ‘beliefs’. And thanks to a single terrorist attack by a cult in 1995 (Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack), a lot of people started to think negatively about serious or zealous religious people as well.
When it comes to those trying to bring Christianity to Japan, this both works for and against them. It works for them because they aren’t actively being hated or pushed back on, and they’re polite enough people to at least listen to you, but it also works against them because they aren’t exactly soaking it up or showing interest in it either. When asked about God and faith, they say ‘they don’t know’ and that’s that. While people in the West are told to think for themselves and they will ask questions to come to conclusions, Japanese people embrace a collectivist mindset in which whatever the population says goes. They’re ignorant but they don’t mind. More on this in the next section.
This creates a very odd situation in which, they will adopt Christian things but not adopt the faith. If you didn’t know, Christmas has been a holiday in Japan for hundreds of years, and you’ll see Christmas trees, pretty lights, and other holiday-only sales and foods but….they don’t know the reason for the season. In the last few decades, people wanted to have church weddings with a white dress because of the media, so fake churches have been built along with actors to play the minister, but again, they don’t know what church is about or what a marriage covenant means to God, but they don’t really care. If they like the aesthetic or they think something looks fun or cool, they will embrace and adopt it regardless of it’s religious or spiritual background.
For some Japanese people who do think for themselves, some of them would even argue against Christianity stating that, ‘If we claim Jesus is the answer and He will make us better people or improve our lives and so on, why is Japan a safer, healthier, and more peaceful society than America or other countries which were birthed on Christian values? Or what about places like Africa where many people call out to God but kids are hungry and people are dying of malaria?’ You have to admit, they make a fair point. I will give my rebuttal to this argument later in this article, but I’m just placing it here so you can see that the appeal for religion just isn’t there.
Now, despite Japan’s general lack of interest in religion, they seem to enjoy the wisdom, symbolism, and history of various faiths. In art and media for example, I’ve seen Christian symbolism all over the place. I watched Digimon before I ever read through the bible, but it was crazy re-watching it after because I realized how many Digimon were named after them. They even have a whole arc where Vamdemon (derived from “vampire” and “demon”) is about to appear and take over the world at the ‘time of the beast’ (6:06:06), and in the end, the angel Digimon destroy him. In season 6, there is an episode where Lucimon (Lucifer-mon) who appears to be a beautiful, innocent angel is running to be president of that land, and through his kind heart and compassion, he gets all the votes, but then he shows his through dark side, literally retelling the origin story of Satan in the bible.
More recently, I watched Vinland Saga, probably the first anime (outside of Superbook which actually retells stories from the bible) that has a variety of Christians who are portrayed quite accurately, and I was even surprised to see actual scripture shared throughout the show, also excited that the main character was interested in the lessons and teachings of the bible, even if he didn’t officially convert to the faith. But is the creator of Vinland Saga Christian? Not at all. He was just interested enough to do his research and wanted to create a more historically accurate series since Christianity was prominent in that region at that time. And he’s not the only one. Many anime artists draws inspiration from anywhere, and they seem quite informed on the topic too, but they don’t claim any attachment to the religion, just a keen curiosity or interest.
Something like this would only work in places like Japan where everyone is quite apathetic or at least they don’t take religion too seriously. In the West, once you claim to be Christian, other people will watch to see if you’re actually living it out and abiding by rules of the God you claim to believe in, and when you don’t, you get judged and labeled as a hypocrite. Christians (understandably) get upset when a non-Christian wears a cross. The same person probably wouldn’t wear the start of David or a hijab just for fashion, and yet our symbol isn’t treated with the same respect or consideration. Every few weeks, a famous celebrity or influencer converts and shares their faith or testimony online, and instantly, people outside of the faith lose interest in them, and those inside of the faith are judging them anytime they do something they feel Christians shouldn’t do, one of the harshest cases being for people like Kat Von D. It’s a lot of pressure, and it’s why a lot of people would rather not have the label if it means being pushed into a box. But in Japan, you have that freedom to embrace or indulge or adopt anything, and no one blinks an eye. Partaking in Christmas or gospel music doesn’t make you a Christian…it doesn’t make you anything. It doesn’t mean anything to them.
Last thing I’ll say is, I’m not judging them for this. What do you expect from a place where 98% of people are one race and have had the same culture forever? Heck, I grew up in Toronto, a super multicultural city full of immigrants, and even I was ignorant to the religious background of the various holidays my school would have us all celebrate, or the various cultural dances I would see during the multicultural assembly. When newspapers were still a thing, I along with others would grab them on the way from school just to play the games and read our horoscopes, not taking them seriously but still being curious and finding them funny when it’s ironic. Valentines day is also interesting considering cupid is displayed everywhere and he is known as the roman god of erotic love, desire and affection, but no one ever thinks of him that way. We see him more as like a mascot, like the leprechaun for St. Patrick’s day or Santa for Christmas….not that he matters anyway, as it’s just a day to confess or express your love to someone.
Even in the Christian community, people have yet to realize that the true origins of Christmas and Easter is pagan as Christmas (Yule) celebrated the various gods born during the winter solstice (thus the date) and Easter comes from the name Ishtar who is the goddess of fertility, thus the eggs and bunnies. While it’s not wrong to want to celebrate the birth of our Lord and savior, the bible doesn’t tell us when He was born, and Jeremiah 10 says to ‘not learn the way of the heathen, people who cutteth a tree from a forest, deck it with silver and gold and fasten it with nails so it moves not’, which sound like a Christmas tree to me.
And it’s definitely not wrong to celebrate the death and resurrection of our savior, but we should do it on Passover like Jesus told us to. In the Jewish calendar, a new day starts at sunset, so Jesus ate the Passover with his disciples on Wednesday night, and then He went out to pray in the garden and was arrested. He was on trial in the very early hours, then nailed to the cross at 9AM (3rd hour) and died at 3PM (9th hour) on Thursday afternoon, all of which was still considered the same day. Friday is ‘preparation day’ for the sabbath. I grew up Seventh-Day Adventist, so we also took the Sabbath seriously, finishing all chores and cooking ahead of time because you weren’t allowed to do anything on Sabbath since it’s a day of rest. It was first established when God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th, and it is the 4th commandment in the 10 Commandments showing it’s importance, though Christians are not under the law, nor to judge each other in sabbath days or food [Colossians 2:16]. Thus, on Thursday evening, they rushed to take him down and had him dressed and buried before Friday sunset. And finally, Jesus rose again Sunday morning. As a kid, I never understood how Friday to Sunday made ‘3 days and 3 nights’, but after studying the Jewish calendar and holidays and I realized Jesus died on a Thursday, it all made sense.
The thing is, even if I wanted to share these very solid arguments with Christians, a lot will instantly get defensive and shut down the conversation the second you say ‘Easter is pagan’. I know at the root of it is usually a reluctance to consider they could be wrong about something since we all have pride, but in most cases, it’s the fear that accepting a different truth would separate them from those around them, thus, many would rather brush it off and be ignorant if it means getting to enjoy their favourite holidays with those around them, and not feeling any guilt or condemnation for it. Although Halloween clearly celebrates darkness, demons, witchcraft, death, and many other things that oppose God and His word, many Christians would brush it off and say they’re just ‘dressing up for fun’, or they’re ‘just letting their kids get free candy’. And that right there is the same mentality Japanese people have towards the Christian faith. ‘I just want to dress up as a Western bride’, ‘I think a gospel choir looks like fun!’
Now normally, ignorance and apathy would be a bad thing, but compared to countries that are actively banning and persecuting Christians, or how cold and closed off some are to hearing the gospel, Japan’s apathy at least means they aren’t actively against anything religious, and that means they could willingly step inside a church to be in a choir, which in turn allows many opportunities for spiritual seeds to be planted and watered. Perhaps their family members or friends would come to watch them perform and get to hear a sermon as well!
2. Japan’s Deep Love For Music
If you didn’t know, Japan has the 2nd biggest music industry in the world! Impressive for a small country, eh? But a big part of that is that kids grow up with a deep appreciation for music. While kids in the West don’t really care about choir or band, and you can’t even make a high school orchestra sound decent, elementary students in Japan are competing in competitions and sounding amazing! And not only do they sound good, but they all have their parts memorized and mastered which is impressive! You can’t make someone practice or learn, so every kid chose to put in the time to ensure they play their part well for the success of the whole.
A while back, I stumbled across the Kyoto Tachibana band (the girls in the orange clothes below) and I was so intrigued by their large memorized repertoire along with their enthusiastic, in-sync dance moves that I just had to do more research and I ended up writing a whole article on not just them but Japanese music education in general. And I don’t think the average person really understands just how impressive what they’re doing is. Not only have they memorized over 25 minutes of songs, but they also had to learn dance routines and learn to do both simultaneously.
On top of that, the students performing have only been in the club for a few months to 2.5 years max. The school year in Japan starts in Spring (usually March) and will have their first performance or competition by summer. And seniors would usually retire mid-way through the year so they can focus on their studies and entrance exams. So imagine having to learn a whole repertoire of songs and their dance moves and be able to do both without being out of breath or making mistakes. That would certainly be quite difficult for a new musician, but most students have been playing their instrument since elementary or middle school, thus why it’s not out of reach for them. And no doubt, many go to this school just to play in their band.
A teacher can certainly teach and guide, but every single student truly has to put in their own work to learn their part well so the group can succeed, especially in competitions. Every student has to work on their shortcomings to ensure they all all look and sound together. There’s also no egos here, no one is trying to stand out or show off, and this is because Japanese people see the power and beautify of working together, they know there is strength and success in unity.
And while music can certainly be a selfish pursuit, more so nowadays where people can produce their own music electronically, I love that Japan still loves traditional instruments and playing together. Japan is not only the creator and manufacturer of various respected instrument brands (ie Pearl, Suzuki, Yamaha, Ibanez), they also host various regional and national musical competitions for every age group which I’m sure helps keeps students motivated to grow and improve so their school could hopefully win.
And for other people who decide to make their own band, there are countless live houses (venues) that love new and local talent, and it’s not hard getting people to come out to watch them either, and scouts are still going out to offer brand deals for them to get bigger. This is why their music industry continues to thrive even though the whole world didn’t appreciate Japanese music until more recent decades.
And trust me, this is a HUGE contrast from schools in the West. I took music all through school, but I was usually only 1 of 3/4 other kids who actually took the subject seriously. Since the students would just talk or play around during practice time, the teacher didn’t have much success conducting us, and we’d be stuck on beginner songs the whole year. When music became optional after Grade 9, my Grade 10 band was cancelled since I was the only one who signed up, thus I got placed in a Grade 11/12 band class that started with 3 students and ended with 8, and when I was in Grade 11, band was just cancelled completely, so I took Music & Computers and then Keyboard. After starting this blog, I investigated why guitarists generally don’t care about music theory, and I found out many of them never had musical education since their schools didn’t have it in their curriculum, or they only had choir, or they learned to play an instrument without learning to read sheet music (ie, teacher just tells them what buttons to press) and it all made sense.
The media doesn’t help either as kids who liked music were often seen as the nerds and were unpopular. It’s ironic since everyone loves music, but I guess to them, there’s a big difference between being a pop singer, rapper, or a rock guitarist vs playing the tuba in an orchestra or the saxophone in a jazz band. But of course, that means less people are actually learning to play instruments, and thus less bands, and thus less venues to host said bands, and thus musicians can’t really make a living so those who want to be musicians aren’t encouraged and are often told to ‘get a real job’. Some musicians like Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, along with various jazz musicians, have moved to Japan as their music is more appreciated over there.
As one gets older, learning or dedicating themselves to an instrument is often out of many people’s reach, both here and in Japan. While I don’t believe anyone is too old considering I picked up guitar and learned deeper music theory in my mid-20s and started playing the ocarina in my 30s, I get that time is limited and it can be hard to motivate yourself if you don’t think there’s a future in it. For Japanese people, they also have a barrier since playing instruments at home can be inconsiderate of your neighbours and is even banned in many housing complexes, thus why practice rooms are more prevalent over there, but still, who has the time and money to rent one if they aren’t taking music seriously?
So as for this topic, I believe choirs are extremely attractive to all ages in Japan because they already love music so much. Singing is also something everyone can do, and it doesn’t require a whole lot of effort or individual practice like playing an instrument would. Choirs also aren’t picky as the more the merrier! Even if you’re not the best singer, if you’re placed in the right group for your vocal range (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) and do your warmups and scales, you’ll improve. But black gospel music is especially attractive because they look like a lot of fun and you can maybe even burn a few calories!
3. Desire For Community
(Aka When you’re out of school and don’t have friends at work/are retired, you can connect in choir)
While community is a natural human need regardless of where you are from, community matters far more in Japan as it is at the root of their culture.
In the West, individuality is promoted and encouraged. It’s cool to be unique and different! When I was a kid, the only times I really had to work with classmates was if we were on a team together during gym or working on a project together, but it was always shortlived and temporary. What I did otherwise really had no effect on other students, so if I chose to cause trouble, no one else would be punished for it. Also, if I didn’t do my equal weight for a project, my partner has the option to work extra hard or suffer a bad grade, which isn’t fair, but at least they have the option to never work with me again moving forward. It’s ‘every man for themselves’, and people are willing to use others to get where they need and abandon them afterwards.
In Japan on the other hand, from a very young age, kids work together to clean their own classrooms and some elementary schools even have kids serving lunch to one another. Little kids can also run errands on their own because the parents can trust that the bus driver and store workers would assist them, that and of course trust and faith that no one else would harm or kidnap them. As they grow up, each kid is pretty much required to join a club, and their schools will have sports day where each class competes against each other in a variety of group games (ie basketball, relay, Bo-taoshi, etc), and during their school’s festival, each class would plan and put together for the rest of their school and guests to enjoy (cafe, haunted houses, a play or dance, etc). Then when they become adults, the same mentality of working together, playing your part, and being considerate of one another still applies, including the community mindset since going out to drink with coworkers (and your boss) regularly is an unspoken expectation in Japan.
To some, this may seem a little extreme, but this all goes far back in Japan’s history. While respect has always been a big thing in East Asian cultures, what makes Japan’s situation a little more unique is that they are highly prone to earthquakes, so prone that they pretty much have one everyday, but most are so minor to be noticeable. Buildings are made to resist them, and drills are held regularly, but in their minds, it’s not ‘survival of the fittest’, it’s ‘we can survive if we work together’. In an emergency, a selfish person could lead to the deaths of many other people. Imagine trying to leave your apartment building before a tsunami comes, but someone is trying to bring all their luggage down the stairs in front of you and won’t let you pass. At least if everyone followed the rules, worked together, and considered each other, they can all escape safely.
They apply this same mentality to all aspects of their life, from taking off outdoor shoes in various buildings to cleaning up your own table at a food court. It’s because of this community mindset why Japan is so clean and quiet, why you can leave your laptop unattended while you use the washroom and why you can expect to get your lost passport or wallet back. And hey, that all sounds like a wonderful thing, until you learn that Japanese people would in fact bully or avoid individuals who don’t conform or behave, perhaps in hopes that they will conform later, though bad reputations can be lifelong. This is why, although Japan has religious freedom, most of them would never ever consider pursuing an opposing faith because the fear of not fitting in or even being rejected is just too big considering how their society works.
Last thing I’ll say on this point is that there is a loneliness epidemic. While many people around the world are suffering the same, Japan is still a unique case since most people never talk about themselves nor share their true feelings. For the sake of peace and unity, most of them don’t want to burden others with their problems, or they may fear sharing something may later cause others to avoid them, so even if they are suffering, they keep it to themselves.
Some examples of this is ‘hikikomori’ which is men who live with their parents and stay in their rooms pretty much 24/7, often just playing games or watching shows. Japanese people also have a lot of maid and host cafes, along with various services where you can rent a friend or boyfriend, showing that people would rather pay just to get a little attention or to have someone who they can talk to without worrying what those around them would really think. Some have even gone so far as buying holograms machines to greet them and keep them company throughout their day.
Of course, nothing can truly replace a real human connection, so I’m sure choirs are intriguing for that reason. When you see a black choir performing together, and they’re all dancing, smiling, singing loudly, and expressing themselves, you can’t help but think they have a good bond with one another.
As you’ll find out throughout the rest of this article is that Japan looks like a great place, they’re advanced, clean, respectful, and creative, but when it comes to the heart of what it means to be human, and to love and live authentically, their culture prevents them in various ways.
4. Desire For Freedom/Self-Expression
(Aka Gospel music encourages these things. They don’t have many opportunities otherwise)
This may sound a little contradictory to my point above about community, but they go hand in hand. One thing I’ve noticed in my years of studying Japanese culture is that, because of their strict society standards and mandatory customs, they can feel bound or oppressed in various aspects of their life. Everything from how they dress and do their hair (uniforms), to their education and career paths (many youth commit suicide when they didn’t get into a university), to even how or when they talk (don’t bother others, no talking in trains), feels controlled, so they don’t feel like they have many opportunities to express themselves authentically.
For example, part of why Harajuku Fashion is so out there is because Sunday was the only day students got to wear something outside of their uniform, so why not go a little overboard with layering, colours, and accessories? Another example is anime which can have some of the most creative, exciting, unique, and even some of the most questionable and messed up content imaginable, but it’s because the author can create a world and live through stories they would or could do in real life. Kawaii culture was actually a form of rebellion in itself. In the 1970s, girls started to write cuter letters as a way to not conform to the straighter standard, and that led to a revolution where girls embraced being more childlike and innocent to rebel against the more serious adult expectation.
What I find really funny but also admirable about Japanese people is that, even when they are being rebellious, they are never breaking the law nor trying to hurt other people, they are just trying to break free of the unfair and burdensome expectations of society. While most are too scared to put themselves out there lest they be labelled a weirdo and avoided, if even one person is brave enough to take that step, it will create a revolution where many others now feel brave to do so. And eventually, Japan as a whole will just accept it and no one will blink an eye towards it anymore. Like Miley Cyrus trying to break out of her Disney image with ‘Wrecking Ball’, sometimes you gotta go to such an extreme and shock people, just so you can be who you really want to be in between.
While Japanese people are known to be quiet, gentle, soft-spoken, obedient and respectful, and while they can certainly play these roles really well, a lot of them are deeply desiring opportunities to go crazy, to be loud, to dance, to express themselves more openly, but they also don’t want to get in trouble nor be judged for it. In my article on why Japan has so many all-girl rock bands, I share that the big appeal of rock in general is the ability to express their anger, frustration, depression, and loneliness, things they would never be able to express in their everyday lives. While Japanese business men can look quite serious day to day, many of them go crazy headbanging at a rock concert or dancing with light sticks to a Jpop idol group.
Considering all the Japanese media I’ve seen over the last 20 years, I can tell there is a deep desire for them to remove their fake social mask now and then and be free. And no, I’m not calling them fake, Japan themselves have what they call Tatemae (public behavior) and Honne (true feelings). As Taka from One Ok Rock in the clip mentions, Japanese people are very closed and often need alcohol to loosen up (Japanese drinking culture is very big, and is even expected when coworkers go out after work and at other gatherings), but music allows them to do that as well. Rock music will never die because people want to ‘expload’, so when they see band members on stage doing so, they feel free to do so as well. The fact that Ado, a newer artist, instantly topped charts with a song where she screams at society and tells them to “shut the f- up!!! (Usseewa)” is a testament of that.
One other thing unique to Japan is their anonymous artists. Some artists like Man with a Mission has the whole band wearing wolf masks, and some like Nano would just use lights, shadows, and screens to hide their face on stage. No one would know their real names or face unless the artist themselves chooses to reveal it. In the West, that wouldn’t be possible thanks to paparazzi and invasive fans, but Japan respects boundaries and privacy enough that if an artist wants to remain anonymous, they would let them. Those who work with them behind the scenes can keep a secret, and the fans aren’t itching to reveal or expose them because the mystery adds to their appeal. Perhaps even they know that if their identity was known, they would no longer feel safe or free to write music they love and connect to.
Vocaloid, a Japanese music program where producers can create music and vocals within a program, has also allowed countless people to make music with their darkest or most messed up thoughts, and quite a few of them are very famous, under their producer name of course. Kenshi Yonezu, a famous artist known for his grief song “Lemon” was once a vocaloid artist. If you didn’t know, as a kid, he was bullied and seen as a monster due to his autism, marfan syndrome (very tall and slim), and an injury that left a scar on his lips, thus it was freeing for him to express his emotions through music without his looks being a barrier. Only later when he gained more popularity and confidence did he feel more secure to sing publicly and show his face, though he still goes on to share his real emotions, like “Flamingo” which talks about the isolation and emotional disconnect he feels being in the spotlight, and “Loser” which is self explanatory.
As I was researching choirs for this article, I stumbled across the “Complaints Choir of Tokyo”. Please, PLEASE, if you don’t watch the entire video, at least listen to their song between 1:30-4. I laughed and sympatized cause these are legit complaints. I have a feeling everyone in the choir added their personal complaint and they made a song of it, allowing everyone to truly sing with passion. The bit after where the music pauses and single people directly voice their opinions is also interesting, and you can tell some people have been holding in their complaints for so long, especially the guy who screams that he’s always tired and requests that people let him sleep more. I did a little more research on complaint choirs, and while Japan didn’t invent the idea, I’m also not surprised they adopted it.
Now back to the topic at hand, gospel music is a genre that allows people to open up and express themselves as well. Not everyone is attracted to headbanging emo rock music or hyperpop depressing vocaloid music, some people actually want to hear happy music with positive vibes, which gospel music has and cultivates.
When it comes to self expression though, gospel choirs is an opportunity to sing as loudly as you like, and if you’re a soloist, you have freedom to sing how you like and really experiment with your voice. You don’t have to do the same thing every single time. Gospel music also encourages movement and dancing, even directly telling people in the lyrics to jump or clap their hands. While Japanese people do dance a lot, it is often super tight choreography with no opportunities to improvise, but gospel choirs give them space to sway, bop, snap their fingers, raise their hands, whatever feels natural in that moment.
These things may seem so miniscule in a country where you see people bopping to the music on their loud headphones daily on the bus, but Japanese people don’t even get to do that! It’s considered not only impolite, but Japanese culture restricts doing anything that would draw attention to themselves. As I thought about it, this is probably why karaoke is such a popular activity for Japanese people of all ages. If you didn’t know, karaoke was actually made in Japan, and when they go, they will have some alcohol and then sing with all their heart, bang their tambourines, and just really enjoy music. But you know where else they could do all this? In a gospel choir.
Below is just a little comparison between a traditional choir in Japan vs one that specializes in gospel music. The left is definitely more natural to the Japanese people, so it’s even surprising for me to see them get into the groove and have fun with it. I’ve also decided to share clips of Japanese people on a train vs them in karaoke. It’s really like you’re seeing two totally different sides of the same people!
5. Black Teachers Living Abroad
(Aka They received training, support, and encouragement from professionals)
Regardless of Japan’s interest in the genre, as I mentioned in my intro, gospel isn’t really something you can just figure out on your own. It’s probably just as complex as Japanese music which took me years of digging and scratching my head to understand how it works, and even then, I still can’t fully imitate their sound.
The reason why black church musicians are so talented isn’t because they went to school or anything, but rather because they grew up with that sound, and then they got to learn from more experienced musicians at church, followed by weekly performances for years and years. There isn’t really many resources on how to play gospel music, maybe a few video lessons and progression ideas but that’s it. Regardless, it’s not something you can learn from a book, you really have to learn to play by ear and feel. And the same goes for a gospel choir. You can certainly learn to sing your part from sheet music, and a choir director can help you sing well, but they can’t teach you how to express yourself, to sing with joy, or to move your body freely.
Thus, for Japanese people who are always surrounded by Japanese people who are always quite timid and rigid, who could teach them to be bold, loud and expressive? Even if they somehow figured out the key to creating the sound of gospel music, who can help them understand the joy and hope of the gospel so they can exude those feelings to others when they sing? I don’t think that’s possible. You really would need black people who already embody the music and have years of performing on stage to show them how it’s done, especially back in the 1990s before YouTube or lifestreaming was available to watch and mimic other choirs. Without black people there to teach and share, they would probably end up with a weird and possibly insulting immitation of sorts, or it would become it’s own Japanese creation like hamburger steak.
At the start of the Ray Sidney video below, he shared that he would sing wherever, whenever in Japan, and even though people wouldn’t understand what he’s saying, because of the passion towards the things he’s singing, they connect to him because of the joy he had. His happiness made them happy. I totally understand and relate to that since I don’t understand the majority of the Jpop music I listen to unless I look up the translation, but I can feel whatever expression they are trying to portray without even knowing the name of the song. Various emotions from excitement to apathy to grief and fear can be expressed by voices, chords, and beats. Ray continues by stating that the Gospel means ‘good news’, and that love, joy, and hope expressed in the music touches people.
But yes, just like in Sister Act, sometimes you need a ‘black sister’ to bring out the real potential in others. Just like in the movie, Deloris isn’t just telling them what to sing or how to sing it, she has moments during the song where she’ll look, point, or gesture to certain individuals and really encourage them to sing their hearts out. When the director is really getting into it and singing with you, dancing crazier than you are, it’s contagious and you feel like you have permission to go crazy too! And if a director has noticed your potential and is excited for you to show the world what you really got by giving you a solo, why would you want to let them down? Here’s your opportunity to shine and really lay it out on the stage, and you can’t help but want to put on an entertaining show with the energy of the choir behind you.
6. They’re Seeking True Joy & Hope
(Aka In a country where people live without hope and many people commit suicide, Gospel music shows them there is a source of true joy)
As started in the last point, Joy is something Japanese people are greatly seeking. They can certainly look happy on the outside, and they have found a way to find fulfillment through work and connections, but as the Complaints Choir above was singing about, they are hiding a lot behind their smiles. If you don’t know much about Japan, you may think that’s an assumption on my part, but for those who do know, while Japan has an extremely low number of murders, they also have one of the highest suicide rates in the world. Many people who have lived in Japan for a while would even tell you that Japan isn’t the perfect paradise otakus paint it out to be.
As much as I really did love Japanese music (and still do mainly for the chord progressions and instrumentation), when I was saved, a lot of the appeal wasn’t there anymore. The pop music may sound happy but they are usually talking about sad emotions or negative ideas, such as YOASOBI’s “Racing Through The Night” which was trending as people were dancing to it ignorantly not kowing it’s talking about suicide. I personally really loved Jrock music, and though I wouldn’t consider myself an angsty individual, the music did allow me to sing and express the emotions or frustrations I kept buried. I may not retaliate and seek revenge, but at least I can sing and scream about the betrayal or pain I was feeling.
In an article I wrote last year or so, I talked more deeply about whether anime and Japanese music was safe for Christians. My conclusion was, while it doesn’t promote sin, sex, and satan the same way Western music does, it is actually quite depressing and hopeless because they don’t have a God they can rely on or cry out to, and thus they must bare their burdens alone. There’s quite a few songs where they actually might mention a ‘god’, but it’s always to ask whoever that may be why their life has to be that way, or why the world is so unfair. They have a lot of shows about heroes and different kind of worlds, and perhaps that’s because they really do desire a different life or to be saved in someway.
Some songs would tell you to ‘cheer up’, to ‘keep trying’, to ‘do your best’, especially in the jpop idol world, but they can’t really give you a good reason why you should. If the song is talking about depression and trying to encourage the person to live, their reason why is ‘because we want you to live’ or ‘because you should make the most of your life’. Their songs may sound happy, but their source of joy, hope, or sense of purpose is lacking. But I guess the songs are just trying to say ‘it’s better to smile than to mope’, and the singer or idol just hopes they can pass on their happy energy to the listener.
A perfect example of this is “Pon Pon Pon”, a very adorable and happy sounding song which has the most random lyrics and visuals. I knew the song and even learned the dance in my teen years, and I come back to now and then….but I only learned more recently that it was created to comfort Japan after the huge and distructive 2011 Earthquake and tsunami. While letting people grieve is certainly an option, Japan just wanted to lift their citizen’s spirits at such a dark time, and who better than to use a jpop idol?
As much as atheists may say religions is stupid and pointless and causes wars or whatever, it is a source of purpose in this life and hope after death. For Christians who actually have a relationship with God, they can receive true love, comfort, peace, and joy from Him. They know they were created for a purpose and that God loves them unconditionally, loved them so much He would die to be with them forever. They don’t have to worry about the future because they know He will provide for them. They don’t have to worry about criminals or calamities because God promised to protect them. If they are persecuted, they will receive more rewards and honour, and even if they die, they get to be with their Lord and Savior. Thus, we have not only a reason to live and be joyful in this life, but we don’t fear death because it would actually be sweeter to be near Jesus when we do. And this is my counter argument to the one Japanese people may raise back in my section on their spiritual apathy.
Christian music isn’t joking or playing when it comes to joy and hope. This isn’t an act, nor is it built on fake promises and our imagination, it’s built on truth, it’s built on history, it’s built on evidence. The bible is true, Jesus really came, died, rose and his tomb is empty, and God promises we are saved and can experience eternal life if we just believe and put our trust in Him. When it comes to black music, a lot of it was created from our times in slavery and when treated as a lesser person, but music was how we kept it pushing and made it through (ie black spiritual songs/hymns). The black national anthem which is technically a gospel song and/or hymn is an example of that.
While there are simpler gospel songs like “Oh Happy Day” which truly focuses on Jesus being their source of joy, other gospel music like ones made by Kirk Franklin really goes deep into our personal struggles, whether it’s being abandoned by a father, going through a divorce, struggling financially, being abused and afraid, or even just feeling ashamed due to our sins, gospel music reminds that God sees us, He is there for us, and He promised that all will work out for our good. God was the Father we never had and He cares for us deeply. Gospel music also reminds us that God never promised that every day will be sunshine and rainbows, but our painful situations can help God refine us into who He really wants us to be, as He did with Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and imprisoned for a crime he never did, but ultimately became 2nd in power beside Pharaoh and was able to save his whole family in a famine, or Job who had his family, his possessions and his own health taken from him suddenly, but since he kept his faith, God returned it to him twofold. Gospel music is very personal thus why people can sing it so passionately and may even cry to it.
In my journey of trying to find as many Japanese Christian artists possible, I’ve certainly noticed a trend in quite a few songs. Often, it is speaking directly to the listener or from the perspective of someone who is struggling with depression, suicide, bullying, loneliness, guilt, shame, anxiety, or abuse, and throughout the song, God/Jesus is introduced as a friend, a faithful father, or a savior, someone who knows them and understands them, who forgives and loves them, and who can give them a new life full of value, purpose, and hope. If the artist or band is really trying to play in secular spaces, they may also write other songs that are not so blatantly religious but still has a message telling them that they are loved and they were made for a reason.
Unfortunately, since the population lacks Christians who would find these artists, help to spread them, and increase it’s views, it’s highly unlikely those who need to hear these messages would, so we have to give it up for Sister Act for becoming such a phenomenon that Japan at least opened their heart to this joyful genre and started embracing it as it has certainly opened doors for many to later know the true gospel and open their hearts to Jesus <3
7. Real Connection to Sister Act
As I was nearing completion of this article, I opened Disney+ to see if anything looked interesting and I realized Sister Act was on it, so I watched both of them right after and it really gave me a lot of insight and understanding as to why Japan fell in love with this movie. It also confirmed a few of my theories, especially on them seeking to be free and to express themselves more. I’ll share a summary of the concept for the first movie:
We start the movie with Deloris, a black girl at a Catholic school, and we can tell instantly she’s quite mischievous. Her teacher asks the class to name the disciples/apostles (of Jesus), she raises her hands but starts throwing in some random names to make her classmates laugh. The teacher gives her a stern warning and says kids like her end up in bad places and are on their way to hell…..and then we fast forward to her as a lounge singer, wearing a tight sparkly dress and singing with two other girls.
We also find out she’s sleeping with a married man who promised to leave his wife but has yet to, and he claims he went to confession the other day and the priest told him not to divorce or he will go to hell. That was the last straw for Dolores and she decides to quit her trio and move because, guess what? The guy she was with owns the whole lounge. As she heads to his office to return some things and leave, she witnessed him and his groupies shooting and killing a man. She tries to act calm and they talk as if nothing happened, there’s no issues…but it’s clear she’s scared and may snitch, so they chase after her and attempt to kill her too. Luckily, she gets away, and she does tell the police, and thankfully, they’re already onto him, but they were lacking the evidence needed to put him away. At least now with her, they have a witness…but trial would take at least 2 months. So in an attempt to keep her alive until she can testify, the detective figures a catholic convent would be the safest place for her to hide.
When Mother Superior (the head nune) sees her, she clearly isn’t fond of ‘her kind’, but the priest reminds her that she made a promise to help and serve people, and says the police promised to make a generous donation to help them stay afloat so she agrees. Deloris is then changed and introduced to the other nuns as a transfer at dinner. They are curious and eager to learn about their new sister, but the Mother shuts down all conversations. Later while the sisters are working on crafts, she does share that she comes from Reno but claims she would help the ‘sinful people of her neighbourhood’. Before she could get more into it, the Motherwalks in and shuts down the convo again. We then see Deloris doing a variety of other chores, and when she’s cleaning a car, she is singing and dancing, but the Mother notices her from a window and tells her to stop. In general, all the sisters ever do is stay inside the church while cleaning and working in silence.
Deloris gets a chance to call the Detective and begs him to get her out of there cause the place is hell to her, but he says ‘no can do’. Thankfully, the other girls really do care about her, and the quietest girl passes by her room one night and gives her an alarm clock her bro gave her to help her wake up at 5AM. She also shares that she feels there’s something inside of her that only she can do, a calling of sorts, and also asks if it’s okay to be herself, and Deloris comforts and encourages her. The same night, Deloris hears the bar across the street and sneaks out to visit. Just as she sits down to order, she notices two other nuns who followed her, one was just curious where she was going, and the other thought they would reach the sinful people. Deloris immediately says they’re all going back, but the bigger girl notices the jukebox and begs to stay for just one sang, and she dances her heart out. Of course the Mother notices them as they return, and Deloris gets chews out personally. While the other girls took accountability for going on their own volition, she claims they wouldn’t have gone if she didn’t, and how she keeps them there as that is the safest place for them.
After another incident, the Mother says she will send her elsewhere, but Deloris actually asks to stay, and she says fine, but she will have a single task, and that is to be part of the choir. We heard the choir earlier at service and they are really bad. Deloris attends practice and the director has them sing a song, but Deloris couldn’t even join in because everyone around her is just so bad and out of sync. She claims she doesn’t know the song and will sit out, but the other girls said they heard about her being a singer, and the director overhears and feels a little threatened thinking the Mother is trying to replace her, but she urges her to go up and see if she can do better with them. Deloris makes some quick adjustments, asking the bigger girl who was singing soprano to sing bass as her voice is just a little too much, and she also helps the shy girl learn to project, and finally, she helps the whole choir sing a chord beautifully. They’re all so happy that they sound good, and the director said she knew that already. Deloris doesn’t get snarky as she knows the director is actually well trained in music, so the two discuss a bit, the director asking if she thinks they can be good, and Deloris says yes but they have to practice daily.
We then fast forward to their first service which not only sounds good but is entertaining. People on the street overheard and started coming in to watch the show. Afterwards, while the Mother was once again chewing Deloris out, the priest of the church comes in and was ecstatic! He claims this was their best service in ages, that his ears were blessed, and he was so happy people were coming in to watch. The choir girls who were eavesdropping also came in. The priest praises the Mother for her idea, and while she is stunned, Deloris claims she had other ideas such as having the girls go out in the community to socialize and help them. The other girls are so happy as a lot of them became nuns because they wanted to serve others and not just pray for them. From there, not only does the pews of their church continue to fill, but they become close with the people around them. I won’t spoil the rest for you incase you want to watch it too!
So why do I think Japanese people can connect with this film? Because I’m sure many of them feel oppressed in society and they have no real say in how things are run. It is a common trope that pastor’s kids end up being some of the most rebellious and unholy people because they were so restricted growing up that once they taste freedom, they go overboard because they enjoy it way more. When it comes to Japanese people though, there is no where inside the country where they will actually taste that kind of freedom, so as I said earlier in this article, this is why they seek opportunities where they can at least express themselves more freely, or they create shows and music to express their frustration with the system.
It’s quite unfortunate that many people see Christianity as just ‘having a bunch of rules’ because quite a bit of rules spread around like ‘no alcohol’ or ‘no secular music’ and such aren’t even in the bible. Jesus Himself turned water into wine, and told us to drink wine in remembrance of Him, so it would be contradictory to then ban wine completely. There are certainly rules against drunkenness and lack of self control, but many people can drink without going overboard. I grew up Seventh-Day Adventist and we didn’t do any piercings, but the bible has no law about it. Yes, we should honour our bodies, the temple of God, but there were old testament laws instructing that if a slave/servant wants to stay after his 7 years working, the master would pierce his ear to the door and he’d be his forever. And let’s not forget that Jesus Himself was pierced so again, if it’s a sin and completely banned, that would make no sense. We can certainly have our own convictions or preferences when it comes to clothes or makeup and so on, but we must be careful not to make our advise sound like ‘the law’. Jesus Himself rebuked the pharisees for creating laws and judging people who don’t obey them, or for upholding traditions of men over the commandments of God.
There’s really no rules about what kind of music is accessible for worship, but the Psalms regularly encourages us to ‘sing a new song, use a variety of instruments and make a loud noise!’ So, why have some some people concluded that only hymns or only older music or only piano or voices are acceptable? Because they have become self-righteous and have made their own views of holiness the law. The Mother in this film did the same thing. While it’s certainly good to have quiet time and meditate, or to fast and have plain food, the bible doesn’t restrict us from talking or from enjoying good food either. All good gifts are from God, and if enjoying something will cause us to rejoice, praise, and thank Him, then that’s a good thing too! All that to say, many self-righteous Christians or modern-day Pharisees can suck the life and joy out of one’s walk with God. So in the same way, I’m sure the Japanese people relate to having all these unnecessary, restricting rules governing every part of their lives, and while they may not say it out loud nor take stances to rebel, they do desire freedom.
But additionally, in both cases, neither sides actually hate their governing body. If they did, they both have the freedom to leave, no one is forcing them to be there or to stay, and yet they do cause they do connect with it. Christians do love Christ, and Japanese people do love Japan. They do love what their country or faith stands for, and desire to be a part of it….but sometimes authority figures (pastor, politicians) or the people around you (church members, Japanese people), are the ones oppressing you and making life miserable. There are good things and good people there, and they know the grass isn’t necessarily greener in another country or another religion…..but it’s just a little too restricting. They don’t understand why all these rules are there, and they just want a little more freedom, a little more self-expression, and a little more joy.
Sister Act shows this dynamic really well. As much Deloris didn’t like being there and complained quite a bit, she didn’t hate the Mother or the church, she just didn’t like being controlled to the point where she can’t be herself. She submitted quite a bit, wearing their clothes, waking up at 5AM, doing chores….but she can’t even talk or dance while doing what she was asked? She’s bold enough to talk about it and ask for changes, but at the same time, she understands where the Mother is coming from, she knows the Mother just cares deeply about the girls, and she really isn’t trying to take over or change how she does things, she just wants the situation to be a little more bearable for herself considering she’s not even a nun nor plans to be. It’s actually the other girls who take quite a liking to her and want her to take charge and to advocate on their behalf. They saw an opportunity of freedom, they saw a light that could create change, and they followed and supported her.
As much as the Mother thought her was right, pretty much all the girls voted for Deloris’s style of music to perform for the pope. At the end of the day, while she may be the one in charge, both the nuns, the priests, and the whole neighbourhood preferred Deloris’ way. She did put in her resignation after that fact, and Deloris did plead for her to stay, but she seemed set on going thinking they didn’t need her anymore. At least in the end, she came around, and not only did she say, but she started to enjoy the new music as well. Honestly, she’s not a bad lady, she just needed to loosen up a bit, and compromise a little.
Her learning to accept and even approve of Deloris is what essentially leads to the second movie as the Mother sends an SOS for Deloris and begs for her to take charge of the music class at a school they started helping at, as the kids didn’t take instruction from anyone. Upon finding out the school was set to close down, Deloris takes charge, putting the kids in their place while also noticing their talents and decides to make them a choir. After their first performance, the other nuns signed them up for a music competition as they figured winning it could save the school, and it does. Deloris’ style of teaching and her connecting with the music the students actually like, not only made them a more respectful and joyful bunch, but it saved a lot of people’s jobs and education.
Of course, real life isn’t always that simple, and even if a lot of people rise up doesn’t mean things will change, but Western people still have a lot of benefits and priviledges that the Japanese people don’t. For example, we feel free to complain and rant to our loved ones about our problems, while the Japanese people keep it inside as to not burden anyone. People in the West know their rights and if the law says they only have to work 40 hours and a little more with overtime so they can leave when they’re set to leave, the Japanese people who has those laws as well would rather let social pressure keep them there until their boss leaves and will even do unpaid overtime just because it’s pushed on them.
And you may ask, ‘why don’t they just quit?’ but even that is a huge struggle. Japan doesn’t have ‘at will’ employment, so employers can’t fire you unless they have many documented reasons, have gone through training with you and so on. Additionally, loyalty is big in Japan, so most people have the same job from graduation until retirement, and at most you would get promotions in the same company. Thus, leaving a job is seen as selfish, which would make other employers far less likely to hire you.
Additionally, Quitting is extremely difficult and painful, and employers have been known to pressure you to stay, to send threats your way, to contact your family so they can persuade you to stay, or outright not allowing you to quit. Some other employers will demand an apology letter, will expect you to find your own replacement, along with various other unplesant and humiliating things, thus why people would rather not go through the trouble. So unfortunately, even if your first job was unfortunately a ‘black company’ where every employee does countless overtime (like 40+ hours EXTRA a week) and they get abused for not reaching quotas, people would rather stay there then deal with even more abuse and problems when trying to resign. This is a huge contrast from the West where as long as you give your 2 weeks, bosses have to respect your decision. Additionally, people are encouraged to job hop as you can gain experience and connections, increase your wages more substantially, or even just pursue a career you’re more interested in.
I mentioned earlier that Japan has a whole lot of movies about super heroes, or just heroes in general, and I honestly think that relates to their own culture and desire, hoping that someone else will come in and save society because they don’t feel they can do so themselves. As much as the burden is for that single person who was chosen or destined to be the hero, they would rather cheer on and thank the hero than be one themselves. It’s too scary to be the hero, and one may even die trying, but they’ll happily praise and support the one who can.
Deloris, though she may not have super powers, she was a hero to the nuns who felt chained. What makes Deloris also a bit special is that she didn’t have to do anything by force, she didn’t fight or riot, nor did she breaks the rules. The Mother was the one who placed her in the choir, the choir director invited her to lead, and the other girls were eager to follow in her footsteps. And after a single performance, the priest and the neighbourhood were on her side too. Deloris was just a transfer, the girls didn’t know anything about her, but they were drawn to her. Even if it’s just because she’s clearly different as the only black person around, her stories about being in a sinful city intrigued them, knowing she sang made them desire her guidance, and even when they found out the truth about her, they didn’t reject her.
When it comes to the topic of foreigners visiting and living in Japan, I know there is often divide between wanting more guests especially because of the additional income tourists bring along with needing English teachers and so on, but also not wanting them because they are known to be loud, disruptive, and disrespectful, even making TikToks on trains, defacing protected trees and shrines, litering and so on. While I’m sure there are some young people hoping and praying that Western influence could create change there, I’m sure even they feel hurt and annoyed when we don’t respect their country and rules.
So while some Japanese people may desire a hero who could come in and change things a bit, they would prefer someone who at least tries to blend in first, someone who is willing to walk in their shoes, someone who will listen to their true desires and complains, and then advocate and push for change while still being respectful and generally peaceful, like Deloris did.
To end this section, I want to compare a few scenes from the movie. To start, I have the first service in which Deloris is dozing off, the priest is upset at how empty the church is, followed by a really bad choir performance in which the director is annoyed, the pianist is clearly being held back from the style she prefers to play, and all the choirs are bored and frustrated knowing their performance is going to suck. No one claps and even Mother Superior seems disappointed….but in the second clip, just a week later under Deloris’ lead, they’re all so excited to sing and perform, and that energy is attractive and contagious. I’m also sharing the scene after Deloris pitches that they go out in the neighbourhood as you can see the joy and excitement the girls have to interact with others and actually get their hands dirty to help those in the community. As much as the reverend may have preferred the previous music, it is objectively clear that everyone is much happier with this change in direction. Deloris really was a light that transformed the place and made lasting change for the better.
That’s just my two cents. Please don’t read into this too much, I’m just speculating! ^^”
Check Out Some Japanese Gospel Choirs~
While it’s hard for me to really understand what’s going on in another country half way across the world, I wanted to get more glimpses of what their choirs sound like over there, and man, you would honestly think some of these groups were black if you only heard them. Check them out!
Japan Mass Choir
This cover of “A Wonderful Change” was surprising by the Tokyo Mass Choir was surprising. If I wasn’t watching them, I would actually think it was a black group performing. In general, I’m used to Japanese singers having a higher pitch, but this was pretty standard. Additionally, their pronunciation is pretty good too considering how common Japanglish is in their own music. They seem to be one of the biggest or oldest choirs in Japan as I am able to find quite a few videos from them.
Awano Gospel Choir
Below is a clip from Awano Gospel Choir singing “Oh Happy Day”. It was uploaded on 2007, but not sure when it was recorded, same with a lot of these clips as they have little to know description.The Awano Gospel Choir is a Japanese choir led by composer, arranger, and director Yasumasa Awano. It was formed by uniting several regional groups Formed in 2018 by uniting several regional groups led by Awano, including Gospel Tokyo, Gospel Shonan, Ginza Graceful Choir, and Mito Gospel Class.
GQ Family
When scouting for a cover photo for this article, I saw one from GQ Family. I usually don’t open links, but I figured it would be smart to reference whoever I decided to put on the cover of this article. While I didn’t use theirs, the first line of their website indicates that they’re Japan’s biggest gospel group with more than 2000 Members! ” just happened to come across “Jenna, the founder, is a Japanese Christian choir director & songwriter who believes that the Gospel music is for all people. She joined a choir at an international church on an American base in Tokyo at the age of 19, was inspired by the power of the Gospel music and started her own Gospel studio for the local people in 2008, at the age of 26.”
Hallelujah Gospel Family
‘Hallelujah Gospel Family (HGF) is a prominent network of Christian gospel choirs operating across Japan, connecting dozens of community choirs and partner churches from Hokkaido to Kyushu. They started 2000 by musicians including Ken and Bola Taylor as an outreach through black gospel music, and they are comprised of over 70–80 local church-based choirs and thousands of members who run autonomous local activities while uniting for major events.’
Japan Gospel Choirs Fellowship
Only after I mostly finished this article and was trying to find more resources and examples did I stumble across this video highlighting performances of the Japan Gospel Choirs Fellowship 2026. I didn’t watch the whole thing just yet as it’s 35minutes long, but I will! As I was clicking through to see the contents of the vide, I heard a glimpse of a black lady being interviewed around 10-15minutes which is relevant to this topic. She tells us that their culture is very closed and that they’re very private people, thus they need an opportunity where they can express themselves. A bit later, she is teaching her choir to just feel whatever emotions come up like joy, thus confirming one of my theories. Something new that I haven’t though about much was her saying that Japanese people are like sponges, “they receive everything they give them, and they’re so appreciative of this music, and they cultivate it, they grasp it, they learn it, they respect it”
Conclusion
There really wasn’t a point for this whole article beside my curiousity for the topic, and hey, it was a lot of fun learning about this and also watching Sister Act and Sister Act II. It definitely wasn’t on my radar, but it may be one of my favourite movies now! Turns out, the cast had a 30 year reunion a couple years ago, and Imma go check those out too ^_^
Last thing I’ll share is this video about Harlem’s Japanese Gospel Choir. Don’t assume gospel is only spreading in native Japan, Japanese people around the world seem to be quite invested too!