"With the Divine Spirit of Asahi Hanasaki."

  What?! It has already been left for you—right there, fully prepared. Your grandfathers, grandmothers, and ancestors left a place for all of you, ensuring you wouldn't be left helpless. It is a sanctuary where, in times of hardship, everyone in the community can come together to share wisdom, help one another, support each other, and make up for what others lack. That place is the "church" that stands in your very own town. In our country, "Japan," we also have shrines and temples, and their numbers far exceed even that of convenience stores. Once upon a time, these shrines and temples were not merely places for prayer. They functioned as places of learning for local children and as gathering hubs where people from the community could come together. In other words, they were spaces that formed close-knit communities where people would gather whenever trouble arose, pooling their wisdom to overcome various hardships and crises. In fact, 15 years ago, our nation ...