Would Japanese people be offended?

My general understanding is that the Japanese don't pay much attention to religion and they pretty much just go through the motions for certain occassions. As a Christian, I wonder how uncomfortable they'd be around me. I know that weird fanatics give the rest of the Christians a bad reputation, so I just wouldn't want people thinking that I'm judging them or anything. I guess what I'm asking is what are their reactions people who live by the Bible?

There are Japanese Christians, just not many of them. There are also Japanese Mormons, Jews, and Jehovah's Witnesses. They all come by my door every few months or so.

Anyway, people wouldn't know your religion unless you tell them, and they wouldn't be offended by it anyway as its not uncommon. I think it would only become offensive if you are trying to convert people.

Yeah, I don't go up to people and say "Hey, I'm a Christian" but that topic will always have to come up at some point, you know?

Just,

In my experience, Japanese people generally don't care too much about what particular religious, sexual, or dietary preferences you adhere to, so long as you keep it to yourself. I'm basically repeating what the previous poster says, but it's only when you start pushing your beliefs and preferences on others that people will back off.
But don't worry too much - just be yourself. I've met many Japanese people who assume that all westerners are devout Christians and are surprised to learn that we don't all go to church or say grace before meals.

Dave is correct. As far as I am concerned the Japanese attitude towards religion is similar to the European's. in Europe ( where I grew up)religion is a very personal thing and one can be close friend with someone for a long time and not know and care about their religion. The only official weddings are those done at city hall (many people do go to a church afterwards but many others don't) and public schools are religion free. I worked in several Euro countries and no one ever asked me about my religion. Same in Japan (my partner of over 20 years is Japanese).
It is only in North America, where we have been living for many years, that many people, including government officials, have asked me about my religion.
One time someone in Toronto talked to me in a coffee shop, then asked me if I knew about the Bible. When I said yes he said " but you are obviously not not North American!". I told him that Europeans have known about the Bible for thousands of years and that they brought it to the Americas. He looked at me with shock and horror, as if I had suddenly grew horns, cloven hoofs and a tail, and rushed out!.

Hey..Im a Nigerian Practising Muslim...im just wondering how the Japanese feel about Muslims...how they are treated etc...and are there any mosques in Japan?...I know most of em are either buddhists or don't have a religion...

Please don't worry about this. You may be surprised with how many churches, synogogues, etc. there are in Tokyo. The small town my daughter lived in for two years had a very active Catholic church. Several times I've run into young Mormons who are there for a year or two to "spread the Word". Believe me, the Japanese don't care at all about your religion.

To Confused teen,
The same applies whether you are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, whatever. In Japan religion is not an issue unless you choose to make it so.

Also, churches, synagogues, mosques, etc are can be found all over Japan. They aren't common, however, but can usually be found in places with a lot of foreign residents. Try doing a search of the forums as there are a lot of threads on this topic.

So if there are many religions present in Japan, could anyone give me an idea of the number of Baptists there?
I would really appreciate all help.

according to wikipedia,
one group, the Japan Baptist Convention, has 242 churches with 31,654 members.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Baptist_Convention

Just remember, all religions are in the minority here.

I'm going to disagree with part of what yellwsmrf said- it's true that synagigues and mosques aren't all that common, but churches are far more so. There are about 3 small churches within 15 minutes walk of where I live in Tokyo, and it's not even an area where a lot of foreigners live.

You will find a church or 2 within walking distance of most train stations in larger cities I would say.

There is quite a number of mosques in Tokyo these days but fewer synagogues I imagine.

Definitely loads more churches around than other houses of worship. I think the problem is that people are usually looking for a particular denomination in which case your choices become more limited.

One more thing to look out for, often times the buildings that look most like churches are not churches at all but rather they are wedding centers.

Well since I am Christian as well, I can understand about your worries. It might be true some Japanese people assume Christians are judgemental, and some even have negative connotation, such as Jesus freaks. But there's no need for you to worry. It's just a matter that people might have some negative impression before they get to know you. They will soon come to know you as you are.