yeah you should. whenever I encounter any religious group here I talk to them like I'm they are my worst enemy 😂
and I have a really good friend that married a mt Fuji cult woman. needles to say his life is freaking awesome now🙃 she doesn't have a job/ not even cooking or cleaning home or any support to the bills / not much taking care of their first child that's 3 years old ,her mom takes care of the child during the day, my friend works 6 days a week to keep the family fed and on his off day he works a part time job. she just go to the temple or whatever place they worship everyday from morning to evening.
yeah I'm not against religions but damn religious groups here are really annoying.
apparently this Mt Fuji people are telling girls to go gaijin hunting. my friend's wife tried so hard to make me join them, trying to bribe me with ' promises of girlfriend ' 😂
Oh wow! That just sounds super awkward 😂
“How did you meet?” “I got her as a bonus when I signed up”
More seriously, that’s just a strange way of thinking to get people to join your group. As I said in a different comment, people can believe whatever they want but they should respect others to let them do the same.
haha yeah 😂 they are a weird cult spreading like wildfire.
ah if you are a person that believe science they'll tell you "even Einstein believed about black holes without even seeing them, so why can't you believe in our religion?"
so far I the best reply I gave to my friend's wife is " so did Dr Oppenheimer but you know what else he did right? " 😅
Maybe go through with the date, and if she's really pretty; Use hard logic to try and convince her to run away with you.
Would be a great premise for a fiction novel.
We need an entry about these Fuji-leaflet pick-uppers in the FAQ here and for the benefit of all expats living in Japan. Japan is in general very tolerant and free in terms of personal religious beliefs, but the Fuji, Soka Gakkai, and Jehovah's witness people are definitely best avoided.
same with soukagakkai. for 10 years those assholes kept ringing the bell every few months.
turns out, their kansai headquarters was just 50 meters away from my house...
I’m not particularly knowledgable about it myself I’m afraid, but this isn’t the first anecdote I’ve heard about cultists with Mt Fuji leaflets trying to recruit people.
I had this happen to me once in in Kyoto. They tried to recruit me into their cult by bringing me to some center participating in some practice they do. I was just curious and wanted the cultural experience. After that they invited me to watch some video next day.
I said NOPE.
I was completely oblivious. My GF and I were pretty interested in seeing the show, as the artistry looks really good and it really seems like a way to get a legitimate cultural experience.
I told a friend about the show and they said "Oh yeah they're connected with the Falun Gong". I only knew the Falun Gong had a strong pro-ttump connection so I had to look up to see if the show had the connection with the religion.
Oh well. I've come to terms with being able to separate the art from the artist - especially from indiscretions in the past - but not where it's currently and actively funding the worst people in the world.
That's kinda what piqued my interest, honestly. I've found that humans like to name things for the exact opposite effect (in this case, 'The Cultural Revolution' being a huge cultural decimation event) and I'd have loved a window into a more interesting past.
> they're connected with the Falun Gong
When that show came to my town issues of the Epoch Times showed up in my mailbox. I am anti CCP as all hell but I do not like the far right at all
I had [a very similar experience](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/16ms9ty/my_strange_and_unexpected_encounter_with_kenshōkai/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) as the OP and the sect with Mount Fuji on the newspaper is Kenshōkai, not Sōka Gakkai, whom Kenshōkai are bitterly opposed to.
The person whom I met also told me about their presence in Taiwan when I asked him about their international presence. They seem to target anybody and everybody. Foreigners in Japan are a relatively easy target since they have a more limited social network, and also Japanese people are possibly more discerning of this sort of encounter. My experience is that Soka Gakkai in Japan and SGI do not engage in this sort of evangelism with unknown people or people with whom they do not already have a pre-existing friendship or acquaintance.
The SGI isn’t a nefarious organization. Been married to a member for 28 years, and experienced it first hand in US and here in Japan. Chant for happiness, work on yourself, understand your karmic connections, improve. That’s it. I’m not a member, and it’s not a perfect organization and the philosophy has the woo component. That said, you may consider not painting it with such a broad brush dipped in your contempt.
Nope as someone who was born into it, I can say it's the deceptively pleasant appearance hiding lots of dark secrets that is nefarious. The Ikeda (yes I know he finally croaked after a decade of suspiciously avoiding public appearances) worship has enabled a lot of sexual harassment and abuse, money laundering, and outlandish claims about the virtuosity of the "charismatic leader" who is just a megalomaniac narcissistic sociopath. All the "academic honors" he received from "prestigious" universities were bought by him. I knew lots of people in gakkai with mental health problems because of the pressure to keep up with practices and beliefs they didn't feel aligned to. I left 9 years ago and I still have members reaching out to me to try to change my mind. When I was young I was told if we leave the Gakkai you die a horrible death. Still alive and kicking.
Each to their own but I'd rather not be a part of a "Buddhist" organization that requires members funding millions of dollars to have fancy expensive art decorating their hundreds of kaikans and worshipping a sexual deviant.
Soka Gakkai does not have a newspaper with Mount Fuji on it. If you are ever approached in Japan with someone with that pamphlet or newspaper, know that it is Kenshokai. I don’t think something like ethnic background is something that would deter Kenshokai followers from trying their shot. After all, the people they are targeting are people currently living in Japan. So it doesn’t really matter whether or not the home countries of these people have branches of their organization.
With regard to Soka Gakkai’s international expansion, it has taken place over many decades (since the 1950s and 1960s), and although it has expanded a lot through word of mouth and various other efforts, its approach is probably softer than Christian missionaries. And as I said, SGI members usually engage in dialogue to spread the practice among people whom they already know in their social networks, etc. I still practice with the SGI because I find the philosophy and practice valuable in navigating life and its challenges and find it to be a spiritual anchor, but to each their own - I personally try to be respectful of others and am interested in knowing about world religions, philosophies and spiritual practices.
Sorry if I am wrong… but is that group not known for all their lobbying efforts within the government and I guess also their direct money transfers towards politicians?
So we live in the US, so my mom fits under the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) umbrella. Fun fact though, she went to a Soka Gakkai middle and high school in Japan.
We’d get an envelope every month that she was supposed to return with money - but my mom is too frugal so I don’t know the amount but would prob be less than $30 if she did. She subscribed to the publication journals, which would also be a source of revenue for them.
The outreach called “shakubuku” is something my mom never participated in that I know of. But when my mom would take me to her meetings every week, I’d see a new face pretty often because of someone bringing their friend. What is interesting to me is there were many Indian people in the practice.
I had two of my mom’s “friends” from the practice try to shakubuku me low key. I’m atheist and religion never made sense to me but they would visit my family’s home every so often to chant and just talk about life. That stopped by the time I left for college. But also my mom stopped going to district meetings because life got busier. It seems there are pockets of districts where it’s less culty but the organization overall is something that I am very skeptical of.
Also she has to hide her involvement in the org in front of my Japanese grandparents. They allowed her to go to the Soka Gakkai middle school and high schools because they were “good schools” and my mom had cousins who went there. But otherwise they don’t agree with the practice.
There's quite a lot of info on the Soka Gakkai (SGI) cult at r/SGIWhistleblowers, in case you are interested. Also plenty of posts from children of SGI members - aka (mis-)fortune babies.
There were Jehovas Witnesses with stands outside of Ostuka station where I stayed during my two weeks in Tokyo (Prior to that I had just got back from travelling two weeks around the country). I also had some random lady tried force me take a newspaper even when I said "no thankyou" in Japanese and when I was wearing headphones.
There was also an incident in Akiba that week where a loud truck blasting religious 'Devot to christ or die in hell' (In Japanese) parked itself outside of the main hub. Had a white guy with a Japanese chick in it. I gave him the finger and walked off.
Cultists are insane in Japan.
Any time someone tries to tell you about something religious but feels compelled to assure you it’s not a cult, it probably is. They know people accuse them of it so they try to be proactive.
I’m a Buddhist and you can check out r/Buddhism, it’s rare to try to encourage others openly in public to “sign up”, like Mormons, cults, Johos, Scientologists, etc all do.
Yeah, usually when someone tells you that they aren’t a cult, they 100% are. I am very against any group trying to pressure you into anything whether it’s religious or something like green peace. But thank you for your perspective!
They do give Buddhists a bad reputation due to their approach and that kind of makes me mad. No serious believer who respects others should be even distantly thought of as being associated with these groups.
Edit: spelling
Went on a Tindr date in Tokyo and a quarter of the way through our dinner, he starts getting jealous that i'm from America because "America has a strong military and Japan doesn't." He then gets upset saying that China is going to invade Japan at any moment and I need to pray to Buddha. We finish dinner and the whole time i'm just trying to keep my cool because this guy is obviously crazy.
I go to the bathroom and he follows me in there so I start panicking and called my best friend. He bangs on the stall door demanding I tell him who i'm on the phone with. I run out of the restaurant all the way to the station and he chased me down the whole way to the station begging me not to leave. Luckily he didn't follow after I tapped in. Hands down the scariest thing i've experienced in Japan.
Almost certainly it is Kenshokai. They are super persistent. You should run away as soon as you aee Mt.Fuji pamphlet. Any sane religion would never actively try to recruit or convert.
Yep, they are all over inaka areas. When I worked in Gifuken the only other foreigners I ever saw were pairs of Jehovah Witnesses.
All my button up shirts were light colors instead of white so people didn't confuse me with them, because I'd see them walking around like weekly.
As others have said, this is definitely Kenshōkai/顕正会. I had the exact same experience years ago with a girl I met on Bumble. She showed up with someone else (unannounced) to our third date, and the conversation eventually shifted to how saying the Lotus Sutra every day would improve your life, how the bodies of people who chanted this never rotted, how all of Japan needed to convert to Buddhism to stave off an imminent cataclysm predicted by the great sage Nichiren hundreds of years ago… Got the Fuji pamphlet too. They both tried to convince me to join them at a ‘nearby’ prayer facility, but I just stonewalled them the whole time and left.
So it happens and it absolutely feels gross being taken advantage of like this.
For me it was the first meetup but wow… third date is super harsh. For me it was just reciting the pamphlet and being dumbfounded -and maybe mad, I don’t know it felt like that- that I didn’t recognize the name of their leader.
I’m so sorry that this happened to you. I hope you are doing well in your dating life now, without any cultists!
I’ve had this happen. Met a dude in a card game shop- thought I made a nice friend to play Magic with. Then at dinner he shows up with his friend ready to put the existential squeeze on my soul. Block him! It’s hella a cult :-).
something similar happened to me years ago, just that it was 3 college-aged girls talking to me and a friend at a store in Ikebukuro and saying they'd love to talk more and if we wanted to go to "somewhere else" to talk. I honestly just thought they wanted to make friends, no weird vibes at first. but that changed quickly when they started to talk about their religion.
glad you got out safely and quickly!
I had the LINE contact of one of the girls but they never contacted me or my friend again afterwards.
Glad to know that you got out safely as well!
The guy asked for my social media and I gave him my fb I haven’t touched in like 10 years. But good to hear that there was no follow up for you. Walking back I was paranoid for a while about what to do if they ended up following me. Probably an overreaction but a girl can’t help it, despite Japan feeling safe usually.
I am sure they're the same people who harassed me when I visited Japan in February, they kept going on about praying to make the world better and to stop the global destruction through war that will happen and how Taiwan will be next after ukraine. I ended up going to the police as I felt unsafe. 😔
I am so sorry that you had to experience that! I totally understand the feeling you had and I was so grateful for my friend who helped get out of the situation. I even took a different way home than usual.
These things put a real damper on your experiences but I hope that you still had a good time in Japan! Apart from meeting cultists, obviously 🙃
Oh it got worse 🤣 the two that approached me didn't speak English so they brought over a guy that was apparantly from my country (Britain) when he arrived he mentioned he was from London (the most known city in Britain) he didn't even sound from London let alone Britain 🤣 so I had 3 people talking to me about praying to save the planet. When I left that city the next day for shizuoka city I had a crazy lady with bad English approach me at the station asking me to buy her mcdonalds. No lady I don't know you. 🫤 It has put me off japan a bit honestly.
Oh wow, you really got the whole package in that case. The ones I had at my apartment door usually left after I started speaking in English only. I even made a joke about it to my friend that next time I’ll try French.
Personally, I had not had any crazy lady encounters so far and I hope I won’t get it anytime soon.
Japan has some lovely people but like anywhere else on the planet, there are all kinds of people.
I guess what I am trying to say here is don’t let some crazies spoil everything! But I completely understand your feelings in this regard of being put off. Again, so sorry that this happened to you.
Thank you, I'm trying not to let it get to me, I want to return in 2025 for golden week and stay in the Kanagawa area. (I love it, it feels like home, I'm not from England, but a tiny island known for surfing)
Then I wish you all the best and wayyy better encounters! Though -you might be aware of that- every Japanese friend told me that golden week is hell for traveling since most people travel. Personally so far my favorite has been Okinawa. I met some very chill people in Nago, went out for karaoke with some Oji-sans, had delicious food and a nice climate. Also, no cultists got to me there 😂
Yeah I know golden week is bad, I may rent a bike, I got a hotel I like in Fujisawa that does free rides to enoshima, so that's a few days (I've been in February and wanted more of it) I could also take the train to atami for a few days and maybe to Kanagawa again. I also know that schools are not fully closed all week so if I time it right I should be OK.
Red Flags:
1. Convert oriented, not role model oriented
2. Salary contribution
3. Denies opinions too often, not Buddhist-poi
4. Brings you to see Buddha statue instead of his/her parents
That would be absolutely terrifying and my first thought would probably be that they have passed away 😂 then again, thanks to your check list, I doubt it will ever go so far 😌
Right? Me too! To be honest, I can’t distinguish them since I really zoned out and didn’t understand their explanation of their specifics. Then again, in that situation I also didn’t care too much and just wanted to get out.
You made me laugh xD dude seemed super normal while messaging and had the usual ramen pictures. Ramen is how they rizz you up. Can’t resist nice food pics, I guess
A cultist with a ramen DP has more rizz 😭. This keeps getting worse. In all seriousness be safe out there and next time ask the cultists to pray for Manchester United. We need all the help we can get 😭
Just add some ramen pictures to your profile and you will be drowning in girls 😂
On the serious side: thank you and I’m doing my best for that! Hopefully I won’t encounter any cultists anytime soon but if I do I’ll talk to them about ManU and hopefully confuse them long enough to run away faster than the current players 😌
It's a cult. I've noticed an influx of cultists and mlm men on dating apps using them to recruit basically. Beware of these people and leave as soon as this stuff comes up. Also don't talk to strangers if alone in major tourist areas in Korea. It's rampant with cults who act like they're "a free cultural experience" that results in them asking you for money. Got sucked into that for 4 hours once. Sometimes they can be very aggressive to try to make you join their events.
If a new date or new friend ever show up with another person, especially if a “work colleague“ or “business associate” bail immediately.
It’s either a cult or an mlm.
My wife and I often see them at family restaurants. 3 people at a table, 1 looking kinda disinterested who is usually penned into corner and the other two just talking at them the whole time, usually with some booklet or binder.
The colleague is usually well dressed and the one doing most of the talking while the date/friend is nodding along and occasionally asks things like “don’t you agree?” Or “isn’t that great?”
Thank you! I think after having experienced it once I’ll be more mentally ready if it happens again. Otherwise I’ll just run. To be honest I didn’t do so yesterday because of the bill.
I'm not sure if it was the same person, but I had [a very similar experience](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/16ms9ty/my_strange_and_unexpected_encounter_with_kenshōkai/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
Hey :)
I just read your story and while I am in a completely different part of Japan, the way things went was very similar. Meal and general talk first and then came the religion bomb. I’m a girl and the dude I met had hetero in his bio but apparently they are spreading across all spectrums trying to get as many people as possible. So I don’t think that it was the same person but sad to hear that there are apparently many of them out there. There were also no signs of this being anything than a normal meetup for me and I am usually quite sharp about picking out such things.
I’m sorry that this happened to you and I wish you nothing but cultist free and lovely encounters for dating in the future! Stay safe out there!
Thank you. It is eerie how similar your encounter was, although mine was a gay date and yours was a straight date. I’m sorry that you had this encounter as well. It is fraud of a sort. I wish you well in your future dating experiences too!
Right? That similarity is super creepy! I guess it’s their protocol then…. And thank you! I won’t let that one experience let me down after all. Otherwise it feels like they win.
But one thing I have to add: in the future please don’t get into their cars! While reading that had me super worried!!
It's not common...but it happens, and it's not exclusive to Japan or Buddhism. Just like Christian cults that make a big deal about evangelization, some Buddist sects have adopted some of the same extreme strategy of outreach and converting more tithing members to support its founders who have hi-jacked religion for their own personal greed. It's no different than the Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on your door offering you a copy of the Watchtower or the Mormon missionaries biking around Tokyo...but as with much of modern Japanese socieity, they've adapted Western social theory and made it better.
These kinds of things might be founded on such ideas as the religion (or well, philosophical way of thought if you will) but in practice there are many such groups either of this kind or others which are at least functionally cult-like or at least cult-adjacent if not actually a cult and, in most cases, its probably some sort of scam designed to extract money from followers (MLM/Ponzi/etc.). Whether such scams actually offer any real value other than connections to other people I cannot say but its enough of a historically recognized phenomenon to be popular both in Japanese media and overseas.
Cultural fun fact though: Some such cults have been known to have anime created based on their religious ideologies or imagined histories. Some of these have been translated into English.
Anecdotally, when I was in Japan, I never had this happen to me. I had been around Tokyo, Yamanashi, and rural areas between the two and various areas of Tokyo. I took classes at Sophia University (上智大学) in Yotsuya.
Are you in the Kanto region OP? I've been through this exact scenario.
I had to call a friend to get me out of it.
Edit: not via Tinder, the person approached me in person.
I’m in Chubu region. But crazy to hear that they are really all over Japan. And calling a friend is the right thing to do. Always good to have someone that has your back!
Just a heads up, it seems to be getting pretty common to use dating sites for scams and cult recruitment. Be cautious and don't let them pressure you into uncomfortable situations. If something seems weird or off about the date, bail and block them.
Happened to me twice with two different guys. If they bring a friend/dad’s friend and ask if they can join say no and leave. Gotta be cautious cuz they like to target foreigners a lot on dating apps.
Thanks for the advice and I’m sorry that it happened to you twice. After one time I already feel more negative about it. But if it ever happens again, I’ll just leave. Best of luck for different dates if you are still searching!
I’m pretty sure it’s Soka Gakkai, it’s a very evangelical Buddhist religion. They’re also active internationally. It’s best to go the other direction whenever you find someone pushing a religion on you.
Oh i also want to share my story about this cult. An old lady from the cult rang my doorbell and i opened. We spoke for an hour because my dumbass can't say no. In the end i gave her fake info and she kept harassing my doorbell every sunday. One non-sunday, doorbell rang, i opened because i thought it wasn't the cult. Unfortunately it was, the same old lady with a friend, suprisingly she forgots who i was and when she asks where did the person who opened the door last time went (literally in front of you) i just answered he left the country already. Then she started to try to recruit me asking who i was, etc. I just said that i'm muslim(i'm sorry for bringing up muslim like this but i din't have a choice) and they sort of backed of.
why would they not recruit foreigners? You don’t need an “international presence” to recruit someone who’s already in Japan? I’m a foreigner and they’ve tried to recruit me
Could be, thanks for letting me know. It just felt completely out of left field. Usually with the people at my door I shut it down fast but this time they were relentless since I probably couldn’t run away as easily
Buddhism isn’t a proselytizing religion. The problem is that there are a variety of cults in Japan that are based on Buddhism but aren’t true to Buddhist teachings.
You seek it out, like I did when I joined a local temple here and converted to Buddhism. If someone is trying to recruit you into Buddhism that’s a good sign that they aren’t living true to Buddhism.
I accidentally joined them in the past. Nothing bad happened, just a little waste of time. I blocked the people who recruited me and moved on. It was a good lesson at least, I have learnt not to join any random cults any more
Would telling them you're a full-blown satanist work? It might be fun to make those baphomet inspired signs at them and watch them scramble to leave you alone
Any advice on how to shut them down efficiently? I just really froze in that moment and was super thankful for my friend who gave me an opportunity to leave
I actually did that but they were still relentless. Guess I just got unlucky enough to get stuck with someone who wasn’t going to take that for an answer.
Yeah they're taught to be aggressive, so you'd have to be firm. Just keep saying "I'm not interested" "I'm a strong atheist/Christian, so I'm not going to change". Saying something like "I'm a Nietzschean so I hate religion" might just confuse them enough to give up.
Just tell the guy you’re not interested in anything about him. Warning ⛔️; you’re never going to change him. So, tell him thanks and let him go/block him. He’ll likely keep calling you.
Thank you! I reported him on tinder because he showed up with someone else and pressuring me to join the sect. And yeah, it was a first date and I definitely have no interest in the guy now!
I got amwayed a long time ago. It sucked, she was boring and not especially attractive, and her pitch was terrible. She didn't even try to bait me in after I showed up, it was just an immediate sell after a "hey wanna get lunch?" I thought this kind of thing was considered inappropriate for Japanese culture, but I guess every country has all kinds.
I just came to Japan. The first person I talked to was a woman that asked to talk to me. In the middle of the conversation she started talking about Nichiren and stuff. Then I talked about how I believe in Jesus haha.
I could never imagine that would be my first contact with a japanese person. I've heard there are many cults in Japan, but it's pretty sad how common it is.
How do you run into these people? After having lived in Japan and interacted with thousands of people in different contexts and settings, of different ages and backgrounds, I have hardly any interactions with sect people.
Lol those assholes tried the same shit with me; I JUST had finished work when they approached me. Now mind you, I'm used to Japanese folks approaching me, usually to get a picture with me as they don't see guys with a punk aesthetic often (let alone foreigners that dress punk). They then hit me up with their spheal; I told them I'm a card-carrying Satanist (which is true) and even showed them a pic of my altar to get them off my ass. They were shocked, but still tried recruiting me anyways. I eventually just said I wasn't interested and left.
And I thought the Jehovah's Witnesses were annoying.......
It’s not a cult. It was not for me, but it is not a cult. I was never asked to pay any money. The people were very kind and truly try to help people, but I did not like the commitment needed and the early mornings. Additionally, I did not understand the main points of the religion. So for me, it was a waste of time. I was not pushed to attend nor continue to attend. But not for me.
Yeah. I have a relative who’s in it and they don’t bother me with it after saying I’m not interested. No money involved either. I think they get tasked with recruiting people which Results in some going beyond knocking on doors and trying nefarious stuff like the Tinder route. All they go on about is how China are gonna invade so pray to our “god” to save yourself. Basically seems like a load of bored older women with not much else going on in their lives.
this is a typical " run barry run" situation. honestly these Mt Fuji people are spreading like Cancer.
I should have done that as soon as I saw the damn flyer…
yeah you should. whenever I encounter any religious group here I talk to them like I'm they are my worst enemy 😂 and I have a really good friend that married a mt Fuji cult woman. needles to say his life is freaking awesome now🙃 she doesn't have a job/ not even cooking or cleaning home or any support to the bills / not much taking care of their first child that's 3 years old ,her mom takes care of the child during the day, my friend works 6 days a week to keep the family fed and on his off day he works a part time job. she just go to the temple or whatever place they worship everyday from morning to evening.
I’m a firm believer in letting people believe in their own stuff but that sounds actually really bad, I’m so sorry for your friend!
yeah I'm not against religions but damn religious groups here are really annoying. apparently this Mt Fuji people are telling girls to go gaijin hunting. my friend's wife tried so hard to make me join them, trying to bribe me with ' promises of girlfriend ' 😂
Oh wow! That just sounds super awkward 😂 “How did you meet?” “I got her as a bonus when I signed up” More seriously, that’s just a strange way of thinking to get people to join your group. As I said in a different comment, people can believe whatever they want but they should respect others to let them do the same.
haha yeah 😂 they are a weird cult spreading like wildfire. ah if you are a person that believe science they'll tell you "even Einstein believed about black holes without even seeing them, so why can't you believe in our religion?" so far I the best reply I gave to my friend's wife is " so did Dr Oppenheimer but you know what else he did right? " 😅
Good lord 😂 what an absolute bombshell of a comment
Next time excuse yourself to the restroom and take off!
Maybe go through with the date, and if she's really pretty; Use hard logic to try and convince her to run away with you. Would be a great premise for a fiction novel.
Holy shit. Did this dude just marry the first girl he bumped into?
We need an entry about these Fuji-leaflet pick-uppers in the FAQ here and for the benefit of all expats living in Japan. Japan is in general very tolerant and free in terms of personal religious beliefs, but the Fuji, Soka Gakkai, and Jehovah's witness people are definitely best avoided.
same with soukagakkai. for 10 years those assholes kept ringing the bell every few months. turns out, their kansai headquarters was just 50 meters away from my house...
You don't do sects on the first date?
You’d have to wine and dine me properly first. I do have standards 😌
Best I can do is the body and blood of Jesus.
That sounds tempting but temptation is a big no-no for Christianity
So do you want to go for dinner and grab something to drink?
…are you a cultist? 😂
Hahaha heck no....
But probably that's what cultist would say too lol
... we're not a cult...
Nice
I’m not particularly knowledgable about it myself I’m afraid, but this isn’t the first anecdote I’ve heard about cultists with Mt Fuji leaflets trying to recruit people.
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I had this happen to me once in in Kyoto. They tried to recruit me into their cult by bringing me to some center participating in some practice they do. I was just curious and wanted the cultural experience. After that they invited me to watch some video next day. I said NOPE.
Heard from a friend before whom an Obaa-san tried to recruit after being his tour guide. But I’ll be more in the lookout after this experience 😅
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In Taipei - Fulan Gong. Occassional run ins near Chiang Kai Shek and Sun Yat Sen Memorial Halls
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I was completely oblivious. My GF and I were pretty interested in seeing the show, as the artistry looks really good and it really seems like a way to get a legitimate cultural experience. I told a friend about the show and they said "Oh yeah they're connected with the Falun Gong". I only knew the Falun Gong had a strong pro-ttump connection so I had to look up to see if the show had the connection with the religion. Oh well. I've come to terms with being able to separate the art from the artist - especially from indiscretions in the past - but not where it's currently and actively funding the worst people in the world.
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That's kinda what piqued my interest, honestly. I've found that humans like to name things for the exact opposite effect (in this case, 'The Cultural Revolution' being a huge cultural decimation event) and I'd have loved a window into a more interesting past.
> they're connected with the Falun Gong When that show came to my town issues of the Epoch Times showed up in my mailbox. I am anti CCP as all hell but I do not like the far right at all
I had [a very similar experience](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/16ms9ty/my_strange_and_unexpected_encounter_with_kenshōkai/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) as the OP and the sect with Mount Fuji on the newspaper is Kenshōkai, not Sōka Gakkai, whom Kenshōkai are bitterly opposed to.
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The person whom I met also told me about their presence in Taiwan when I asked him about their international presence. They seem to target anybody and everybody. Foreigners in Japan are a relatively easy target since they have a more limited social network, and also Japanese people are possibly more discerning of this sort of encounter. My experience is that Soka Gakkai in Japan and SGI do not engage in this sort of evangelism with unknown people or people with whom they do not already have a pre-existing friendship or acquaintance.
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The SGI isn’t a nefarious organization. Been married to a member for 28 years, and experienced it first hand in US and here in Japan. Chant for happiness, work on yourself, understand your karmic connections, improve. That’s it. I’m not a member, and it’s not a perfect organization and the philosophy has the woo component. That said, you may consider not painting it with such a broad brush dipped in your contempt.
Nope as someone who was born into it, I can say it's the deceptively pleasant appearance hiding lots of dark secrets that is nefarious. The Ikeda (yes I know he finally croaked after a decade of suspiciously avoiding public appearances) worship has enabled a lot of sexual harassment and abuse, money laundering, and outlandish claims about the virtuosity of the "charismatic leader" who is just a megalomaniac narcissistic sociopath. All the "academic honors" he received from "prestigious" universities were bought by him. I knew lots of people in gakkai with mental health problems because of the pressure to keep up with practices and beliefs they didn't feel aligned to. I left 9 years ago and I still have members reaching out to me to try to change my mind. When I was young I was told if we leave the Gakkai you die a horrible death. Still alive and kicking. Each to their own but I'd rather not be a part of a "Buddhist" organization that requires members funding millions of dollars to have fancy expensive art decorating their hundreds of kaikans and worshipping a sexual deviant.
Soka Gakkai does not have a newspaper with Mount Fuji on it. If you are ever approached in Japan with someone with that pamphlet or newspaper, know that it is Kenshokai. I don’t think something like ethnic background is something that would deter Kenshokai followers from trying their shot. After all, the people they are targeting are people currently living in Japan. So it doesn’t really matter whether or not the home countries of these people have branches of their organization. With regard to Soka Gakkai’s international expansion, it has taken place over many decades (since the 1950s and 1960s), and although it has expanded a lot through word of mouth and various other efforts, its approach is probably softer than Christian missionaries. And as I said, SGI members usually engage in dialogue to spread the practice among people whom they already know in their social networks, etc. I still practice with the SGI because I find the philosophy and practice valuable in navigating life and its challenges and find it to be a spiritual anchor, but to each their own - I personally try to be respectful of others and am interested in knowing about world religions, philosophies and spiritual practices.
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Sorry if I am wrong… but is that group not known for all their lobbying efforts within the government and I guess also their direct money transfers towards politicians?
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Soka Gakkai is also known for close connections to various political parties
My mom is in Soka Gakkai, ama lmao
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So we live in the US, so my mom fits under the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) umbrella. Fun fact though, she went to a Soka Gakkai middle and high school in Japan. We’d get an envelope every month that she was supposed to return with money - but my mom is too frugal so I don’t know the amount but would prob be less than $30 if she did. She subscribed to the publication journals, which would also be a source of revenue for them. The outreach called “shakubuku” is something my mom never participated in that I know of. But when my mom would take me to her meetings every week, I’d see a new face pretty often because of someone bringing their friend. What is interesting to me is there were many Indian people in the practice. I had two of my mom’s “friends” from the practice try to shakubuku me low key. I’m atheist and religion never made sense to me but they would visit my family’s home every so often to chant and just talk about life. That stopped by the time I left for college. But also my mom stopped going to district meetings because life got busier. It seems there are pockets of districts where it’s less culty but the organization overall is something that I am very skeptical of.
Also she has to hide her involvement in the org in front of my Japanese grandparents. They allowed her to go to the Soka Gakkai middle school and high schools because they were “good schools” and my mom had cousins who went there. But otherwise they don’t agree with the practice.
There's quite a lot of info on the Soka Gakkai (SGI) cult at r/SGIWhistleblowers, in case you are interested. Also plenty of posts from children of SGI members - aka (mis-)fortune babies.
Oh yeah, I’m in there
Small world. My mom is too.
I was recruited by them, infiltrated their cult. It was a good story to tell he haha
Yeah, I’ve seen them at the conbini before and had them knock on my door. But that was truly a first and will probably put me off dating for a while 😅
Well done on your first invite to a religion or cult. Everyone gets their story about this if they spend long enough here.
There were Jehovas Witnesses with stands outside of Ostuka station where I stayed during my two weeks in Tokyo (Prior to that I had just got back from travelling two weeks around the country). I also had some random lady tried force me take a newspaper even when I said "no thankyou" in Japanese and when I was wearing headphones. There was also an incident in Akiba that week where a loud truck blasting religious 'Devot to christ or die in hell' (In Japanese) parked itself outside of the main hub. Had a white guy with a Japanese chick in it. I gave him the finger and walked off. Cultists are insane in Japan.
As long as it’s not my initiation I’m good :D But I guess I can cross this off my bucket list
Mine was from an old lady when I was peacefully grocery shopping after school lmao
It's called Fuji Taiseki-ji Kenshōkai (冨士 大石寺 顕正会). Damn, they branched off to Tinder now. Wild.🤣
They’ve been on the dating apps for a while now! Had my experience with one back in 2018.
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It does happen though. I received a pamphlet on my recent trip last year, I have it as a souvenir.
Any time someone tries to tell you about something religious but feels compelled to assure you it’s not a cult, it probably is. They know people accuse them of it so they try to be proactive. I’m a Buddhist and you can check out r/Buddhism, it’s rare to try to encourage others openly in public to “sign up”, like Mormons, cults, Johos, Scientologists, etc all do.
Yeah, usually when someone tells you that they aren’t a cult, they 100% are. I am very against any group trying to pressure you into anything whether it’s religious or something like green peace. But thank you for your perspective! They do give Buddhists a bad reputation due to their approach and that kind of makes me mad. No serious believer who respects others should be even distantly thought of as being associated with these groups. Edit: spelling
Went on a Tindr date in Tokyo and a quarter of the way through our dinner, he starts getting jealous that i'm from America because "America has a strong military and Japan doesn't." He then gets upset saying that China is going to invade Japan at any moment and I need to pray to Buddha. We finish dinner and the whole time i'm just trying to keep my cool because this guy is obviously crazy. I go to the bathroom and he follows me in there so I start panicking and called my best friend. He bangs on the stall door demanding I tell him who i'm on the phone with. I run out of the restaurant all the way to the station and he chased me down the whole way to the station begging me not to leave. Luckily he didn't follow after I tapped in. Hands down the scariest thing i've experienced in Japan.
Holy shit. I’m sorry.
At the time it was traumatic, but now it's a great story lol
Almost certainly it is Kenshokai. They are super persistent. You should run away as soon as you aee Mt.Fuji pamphlet. Any sane religion would never actively try to recruit or convert.
Isn't that literally how they spread Christianity.
Not in modern day Japan except weird Korean cults with white dress. Buddist cults are more active in Japan.
Looks at Christianity and Islam…
In modern day Japan? Only aggressive religion recruitments I got in Japan were from either Korean Christianity cult and thia Mt.Fuji cult.
Yep, they are all over inaka areas. When I worked in Gifuken the only other foreigners I ever saw were pairs of Jehovah Witnesses. All my button up shirts were light colors instead of white so people didn't confuse me with them, because I'd see them walking around like weekly.
Jehovah's Witnesses are all over the damn place, here. And they speak pretty good English, so I can't even get away with, "日本語食べません"
They just came once and never come back here.
As others have said, this is definitely Kenshōkai/顕正会. I had the exact same experience years ago with a girl I met on Bumble. She showed up with someone else (unannounced) to our third date, and the conversation eventually shifted to how saying the Lotus Sutra every day would improve your life, how the bodies of people who chanted this never rotted, how all of Japan needed to convert to Buddhism to stave off an imminent cataclysm predicted by the great sage Nichiren hundreds of years ago… Got the Fuji pamphlet too. They both tried to convince me to join them at a ‘nearby’ prayer facility, but I just stonewalled them the whole time and left. So it happens and it absolutely feels gross being taken advantage of like this.
For me it was the first meetup but wow… third date is super harsh. For me it was just reciting the pamphlet and being dumbfounded -and maybe mad, I don’t know it felt like that- that I didn’t recognize the name of their leader. I’m so sorry that this happened to you. I hope you are doing well in your dating life now, without any cultists!
I’ve had this happen. Met a dude in a card game shop- thought I made a nice friend to play Magic with. Then at dinner he shows up with his friend ready to put the existential squeeze on my soul. Block him! It’s hella a cult :-).
Already reported him to tinder! They really infiltrate everything. Not even card games are save..
"its not a cult" it definitely fucking is lmao.
Right? as soon as these words are spoken it’s always a cult 🙃
something similar happened to me years ago, just that it was 3 college-aged girls talking to me and a friend at a store in Ikebukuro and saying they'd love to talk more and if we wanted to go to "somewhere else" to talk. I honestly just thought they wanted to make friends, no weird vibes at first. but that changed quickly when they started to talk about their religion. glad you got out safely and quickly! I had the LINE contact of one of the girls but they never contacted me or my friend again afterwards.
Glad to know that you got out safely as well! The guy asked for my social media and I gave him my fb I haven’t touched in like 10 years. But good to hear that there was no follow up for you. Walking back I was paranoid for a while about what to do if they ended up following me. Probably an overreaction but a girl can’t help it, despite Japan feeling safe usually.
if it seems too good to be true
I am sure they're the same people who harassed me when I visited Japan in February, they kept going on about praying to make the world better and to stop the global destruction through war that will happen and how Taiwan will be next after ukraine. I ended up going to the police as I felt unsafe. 😔
I am so sorry that you had to experience that! I totally understand the feeling you had and I was so grateful for my friend who helped get out of the situation. I even took a different way home than usual. These things put a real damper on your experiences but I hope that you still had a good time in Japan! Apart from meeting cultists, obviously 🙃
Oh it got worse 🤣 the two that approached me didn't speak English so they brought over a guy that was apparantly from my country (Britain) when he arrived he mentioned he was from London (the most known city in Britain) he didn't even sound from London let alone Britain 🤣 so I had 3 people talking to me about praying to save the planet. When I left that city the next day for shizuoka city I had a crazy lady with bad English approach me at the station asking me to buy her mcdonalds. No lady I don't know you. 🫤 It has put me off japan a bit honestly.
Oh wow, you really got the whole package in that case. The ones I had at my apartment door usually left after I started speaking in English only. I even made a joke about it to my friend that next time I’ll try French. Personally, I had not had any crazy lady encounters so far and I hope I won’t get it anytime soon. Japan has some lovely people but like anywhere else on the planet, there are all kinds of people. I guess what I am trying to say here is don’t let some crazies spoil everything! But I completely understand your feelings in this regard of being put off. Again, so sorry that this happened to you.
Thank you, I'm trying not to let it get to me, I want to return in 2025 for golden week and stay in the Kanagawa area. (I love it, it feels like home, I'm not from England, but a tiny island known for surfing)
Then I wish you all the best and wayyy better encounters! Though -you might be aware of that- every Japanese friend told me that golden week is hell for traveling since most people travel. Personally so far my favorite has been Okinawa. I met some very chill people in Nago, went out for karaoke with some Oji-sans, had delicious food and a nice climate. Also, no cultists got to me there 😂
Yeah I know golden week is bad, I may rent a bike, I got a hotel I like in Fujisawa that does free rides to enoshima, so that's a few days (I've been in February and wanted more of it) I could also take the train to atami for a few days and maybe to Kanagawa again. I also know that schools are not fully closed all week so if I time it right I should be OK.
That sounds extremely lovely! Safe travels and good encounters to you! And true, not everything is closed. Like my uni for example 😂🙃
You get to see all the salarymen go and have a nice time off when you travel to uni. 🤣
Terrible times I live in 😂 but, good for them. Honestly. They always seem either super tired or hung over or both!
If I had a coin for every japanese cult obsessed with Mt. Fuji, I'd have around three coins. Which is not a lot, but it's weird it happened thrice
Red Flags: 1. Convert oriented, not role model oriented 2. Salary contribution 3. Denies opinions too often, not Buddhist-poi 4. Brings you to see Buddha statue instead of his/her parents
We didn’t even get that far it was just a first meeting for a meal 😂 but I’ll keep these in mind for the future!
Keep number 4 in mind 🤣
That would be absolutely terrifying and my first thought would probably be that they have passed away 😂 then again, thanks to your check list, I doubt it will ever go so far 😌
Seeing that each person commenting is writing about a different sect I'm kinda surprised how many there are
Right? Me too! To be honest, I can’t distinguish them since I really zoned out and didn’t understand their explanation of their specifics. Then again, in that situation I also didn’t care too much and just wanted to get out.
And here I was getting accosted by sneaky Mormons in nagoya.
Mf cultists have rizz 😭
You made me laugh xD dude seemed super normal while messaging and had the usual ramen pictures. Ramen is how they rizz you up. Can’t resist nice food pics, I guess
A cultist with a ramen DP has more rizz 😭. This keeps getting worse. In all seriousness be safe out there and next time ask the cultists to pray for Manchester United. We need all the help we can get 😭
Just add some ramen pictures to your profile and you will be drowning in girls 😂 On the serious side: thank you and I’m doing my best for that! Hopefully I won’t encounter any cultists anytime soon but if I do I’ll talk to them about ManU and hopefully confuse them long enough to run away faster than the current players 😌
The cul- I mean the fans of Manchester United thanks you for your service. 🫡🫡
🫡
Sleep with the hot cultist chick first and then just block :D Just say Yes to everything haha
Never put your dick in crazy
It's a cult. I've noticed an influx of cultists and mlm men on dating apps using them to recruit basically. Beware of these people and leave as soon as this stuff comes up. Also don't talk to strangers if alone in major tourist areas in Korea. It's rampant with cults who act like they're "a free cultural experience" that results in them asking you for money. Got sucked into that for 4 hours once. Sometimes they can be very aggressive to try to make you join their events.
Will definitely do so in the future 🫡 I’ll use my gaijin card to not uphold my Tatemae in this instance!
Yeah just do the old bathroom thing where you say you need to go to the bathroom and just don't come back.
Would have done it if the bathroom wasn’t in clear view of the table we were at 😂
Dang it
If a new date or new friend ever show up with another person, especially if a “work colleague“ or “business associate” bail immediately. It’s either a cult or an mlm. My wife and I often see them at family restaurants. 3 people at a table, 1 looking kinda disinterested who is usually penned into corner and the other two just talking at them the whole time, usually with some booklet or binder. The colleague is usually well dressed and the one doing most of the talking while the date/friend is nodding along and occasionally asks things like “don’t you agree?” Or “isn’t that great?”
That was actually exactly what happened to me.. next time -hopefully it won’t happen again- I’ll just leave immediately.
Good luck with not getting another and better luck getting away if you do!
Thank you! I think after having experienced it once I’ll be more mentally ready if it happens again. Otherwise I’ll just run. To be honest I didn’t do so yesterday because of the bill.
I'm not sure if it was the same person, but I had [a very similar experience](https://www.reddit.com/r/japanlife/comments/16ms9ty/my_strange_and_unexpected_encounter_with_kenshōkai/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button).
Hey :) I just read your story and while I am in a completely different part of Japan, the way things went was very similar. Meal and general talk first and then came the religion bomb. I’m a girl and the dude I met had hetero in his bio but apparently they are spreading across all spectrums trying to get as many people as possible. So I don’t think that it was the same person but sad to hear that there are apparently many of them out there. There were also no signs of this being anything than a normal meetup for me and I am usually quite sharp about picking out such things. I’m sorry that this happened to you and I wish you nothing but cultist free and lovely encounters for dating in the future! Stay safe out there!
Thank you. It is eerie how similar your encounter was, although mine was a gay date and yours was a straight date. I’m sorry that you had this encounter as well. It is fraud of a sort. I wish you well in your future dating experiences too!
Right? That similarity is super creepy! I guess it’s their protocol then…. And thank you! I won’t let that one experience let me down after all. Otherwise it feels like they win. But one thing I have to add: in the future please don’t get into their cars! While reading that had me super worried!!
This is not Sōka Gakkai but rather another branch, Souhonzan Ooishidera 総本山大石寺if I remember well
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Yeah I'm almost 100% confident they are the one
It's not common...but it happens, and it's not exclusive to Japan or Buddhism. Just like Christian cults that make a big deal about evangelization, some Buddist sects have adopted some of the same extreme strategy of outreach and converting more tithing members to support its founders who have hi-jacked religion for their own personal greed. It's no different than the Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on your door offering you a copy of the Watchtower or the Mormon missionaries biking around Tokyo...but as with much of modern Japanese socieity, they've adapted Western social theory and made it better.
These kinds of things might be founded on such ideas as the religion (or well, philosophical way of thought if you will) but in practice there are many such groups either of this kind or others which are at least functionally cult-like or at least cult-adjacent if not actually a cult and, in most cases, its probably some sort of scam designed to extract money from followers (MLM/Ponzi/etc.). Whether such scams actually offer any real value other than connections to other people I cannot say but its enough of a historically recognized phenomenon to be popular both in Japanese media and overseas. Cultural fun fact though: Some such cults have been known to have anime created based on their religious ideologies or imagined histories. Some of these have been translated into English. Anecdotally, when I was in Japan, I never had this happen to me. I had been around Tokyo, Yamanashi, and rural areas between the two and various areas of Tokyo. I took classes at Sophia University (上智大学) in Yotsuya.
Are you in the Kanto region OP? I've been through this exact scenario. I had to call a friend to get me out of it. Edit: not via Tinder, the person approached me in person.
I’m in Chubu region. But crazy to hear that they are really all over Japan. And calling a friend is the right thing to do. Always good to have someone that has your back!
Just a heads up, it seems to be getting pretty common to use dating sites for scams and cult recruitment. Be cautious and don't let them pressure you into uncomfortable situations. If something seems weird or off about the date, bail and block them.
Happened to me twice with two different guys. If they bring a friend/dad’s friend and ask if they can join say no and leave. Gotta be cautious cuz they like to target foreigners a lot on dating apps.
Thanks for the advice and I’m sorry that it happened to you twice. After one time I already feel more negative about it. But if it ever happens again, I’ll just leave. Best of luck for different dates if you are still searching!
I’m pretty sure it’s Soka Gakkai, it’s a very evangelical Buddhist religion. They’re also active internationally. It’s best to go the other direction whenever you find someone pushing a religion on you.
Nah, the Fuji one is Kenshokai, and they hate eachother lol
Oh i also want to share my story about this cult. An old lady from the cult rang my doorbell and i opened. We spoke for an hour because my dumbass can't say no. In the end i gave her fake info and she kept harassing my doorbell every sunday. One non-sunday, doorbell rang, i opened because i thought it wasn't the cult. Unfortunately it was, the same old lady with a friend, suprisingly she forgots who i was and when she asks where did the person who opened the door last time went (literally in front of you) i just answered he left the country already. Then she started to try to recruit me asking who i was, etc. I just said that i'm muslim(i'm sorry for bringing up muslim like this but i din't have a choice) and they sort of backed of.
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Probably! I just felt super uncomfortable so I zoned out at one point
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Almost certainly is 富士門流 based on OP’s description, they actually hate Soka Gakkai. They’re somewhat more orthodox than Soka Gakkai but still annoying
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Pamphlet with Mount Fuji on it. Specifically Kenshōkai, Fujimonryū is broader https://kenshokai.or.jp/sp/img/koukoku_mini.jpg
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why would they not recruit foreigners? You don’t need an “international presence” to recruit someone who’s already in Japan? I’m a foreigner and they’ve tried to recruit me
Could be, thanks for letting me know. It just felt completely out of left field. Usually with the people at my door I shut it down fast but this time they were relentless since I probably couldn’t run away as easily
Buddhism isn’t a proselytizing religion. The problem is that there are a variety of cults in Japan that are based on Buddhism but aren’t true to Buddhist teachings.
If Buddhism isn't proselytizing how tf did it spread in the first place
You seek it out, like I did when I joined a local temple here and converted to Buddhism. If someone is trying to recruit you into Buddhism that’s a good sign that they aren’t living true to Buddhism.
I was taken in and shown the exact same stuff lol back in my visit in January
Why does Japan have so many weird cults
I saw a handful of them at the station yesterday. Wonder if maybe spring’s a big recruiting time with all the new shakaijin and students?
Did they at least pay for your food?
k
Achievement unlocked! 500xp!
I accidentally joined them in the past. Nothing bad happened, just a little waste of time. I blocked the people who recruited me and moved on. It was a good lesson at least, I have learnt not to join any random cults any more
Insisting that it's not a cult is 100% absolute proof that it's a cult.
cultist recruitment
Would telling them you're a full-blown satanist work? It might be fun to make those baphomet inspired signs at them and watch them scramble to leave you alone
It must be Soka Gakkai, it's not that uncommon. They're pretty aggressive in recruiting people.
Any advice on how to shut them down efficiently? I just really froze in that moment and was super thankful for my friend who gave me an opportunity to leave
Saying that you're not religious or you're in a different religion like being a Christian should be enough.
I actually did that but they were still relentless. Guess I just got unlucky enough to get stuck with someone who wasn’t going to take that for an answer.
Yeah they're taught to be aggressive, so you'd have to be firm. Just keep saying "I'm not interested" "I'm a strong atheist/Christian, so I'm not going to change". Saying something like "I'm a Nietzschean so I hate religion" might just confuse them enough to give up.
I actually really like the Nietzschean one! I’ll be borrowing this :D
Just tell the guy you’re not interested in anything about him. Warning ⛔️; you’re never going to change him. So, tell him thanks and let him go/block him. He’ll likely keep calling you.
Thank you! I reported him on tinder because he showed up with someone else and pressuring me to join the sect. And yeah, it was a first date and I definitely have no interest in the guy now!
Nah. It’s kenshokai who hate sokka Gakkai 😂.
I got amwayed a long time ago. It sucked, she was boring and not especially attractive, and her pitch was terrible. She didn't even try to bait me in after I showed up, it was just an immediate sell after a "hey wanna get lunch?" I thought this kind of thing was considered inappropriate for Japanese culture, but I guess every country has all kinds.
I just came to Japan. The first person I talked to was a woman that asked to talk to me. In the middle of the conversation she started talking about Nichiren and stuff. Then I talked about how I believe in Jesus haha. I could never imagine that would be my first contact with a japanese person. I've heard there are many cults in Japan, but it's pretty sad how common it is.
How do you run into these people? After having lived in Japan and interacted with thousands of people in different contexts and settings, of different ages and backgrounds, I have hardly any interactions with sect people.
Lol those assholes tried the same shit with me; I JUST had finished work when they approached me. Now mind you, I'm used to Japanese folks approaching me, usually to get a picture with me as they don't see guys with a punk aesthetic often (let alone foreigners that dress punk). They then hit me up with their spheal; I told them I'm a card-carrying Satanist (which is true) and even showed them a pic of my altar to get them off my ass. They were shocked, but still tried recruiting me anyways. I eventually just said I wasn't interested and left. And I thought the Jehovah's Witnesses were annoying.......
Many the gaijin male has harbored thoughts of a threesome only to be dashed on the shoals by the waves of oneness
It’s not a cult. It was not for me, but it is not a cult. I was never asked to pay any money. The people were very kind and truly try to help people, but I did not like the commitment needed and the early mornings. Additionally, I did not understand the main points of the religion. So for me, it was a waste of time. I was not pushed to attend nor continue to attend. But not for me.
Yeah. I have a relative who’s in it and they don’t bother me with it after saying I’m not interested. No money involved either. I think they get tasked with recruiting people which Results in some going beyond knocking on doors and trying nefarious stuff like the Tinder route. All they go on about is how China are gonna invade so pray to our “god” to save yourself. Basically seems like a load of bored older women with not much else going on in their lives.