Interview on March 7, 2022, with Asagi who is studying ESL and public speaking, near the University Center at Cañada College in Redwood City, California. 

Do you consider yourself religious?

Asagi: Actually not. Not at all, I think.

Do you believe in God?

Asagi: Oh yeah. I don’t have any specific religion, such as Christianity. I don’t know even the name in English, Christian or Buddhism or Islam, but I’m from Japan and my country thinks everything has god inside. Every piece of food, even this desk, and the smartphone, and cars, and buildings, each of them has its god. In terms of this view, I think there is god. There are many gods, lots of gods.

 

What do you mean by “god” when you say there is a god in everything? Is it good, is it powerful, is it a spirit?

Asagi: When I talk about food, there is a god of food, it gives us enough food and gives us rich nutrition. And when I say this desk also has god, it’s a difficult part to explain, but it has soul, actually. It can be called god, but it has soul and watches us every day. 

If everything is acting for our good, where does evil come from?

Asagi: Gods don’t have the ability to manage to stop bad things, but they can, if we believe and thank them every day, they watch us and give returns. So I don’t have a specific answer, but I would say if bad things happen, our appreciation wasn’t enough, so gods couldn’t help us.

Do you believe in an afterlife?

Asagi: I want to believe in an afterlife because it’s so sad if my soul, if my mind diminishes immediately after I’m dead. So I want to believe I can live even after I’m dead.