「イン・ザ・メガチャーチ」“In the Mega Church” (In the Mega-church) is the latest novel by Ryo Asai, which recently won the 2026 Japan Booksellers’ Award. Rather than a full review, I want to address three specific mentions of Israel within the book.
I was quite surprised by the first mention, where a character notes that her university friends, Jessica and Nana, are boycotting certain companies to prevent money from going to Israel. There is no explanation, no background, and no further detail provided.
There are two other similar mentions in the book. It feels like a clear depiction of peer pressure; the character doesn’t seem to think deeply about the cause itself, but rather acts out of a desire to avoid criticism from her friends.
After reflecting on this, I realized how it connects to the book’s central theme: the culture of “Fandom” in Japan. This culture of “Oshikatsu”—dedicating immense time, money, and effort to an idol—can often mirror a religion or a “mega-church.” This is the bridge. It is a new, religion-like behavior where people follow a set of rules without requiring a deep explanation. The same logic applies to the mentions of Israel: many people follow TikTok trends or social cues blindly, without questioning the “why” behind their actions.
In Asai’s world, it seems activism has become just another form of fandom—a way to belong to the ‘church’ of the moment. It makes me wonder: are we supporting causes because we believe in them, or because we are afraid of being the only ones left outside the cathedral?
The Cure’s song “Jumping someone else’s train” keeps playing in my head when thinking about this. Released in 1979, it captures similar idea of following fads and trying to conform:
It’s the latest wave that you’ve been craving for
The old ideal was getting such a bore
Now you’re back in line
Going not quite as far but in half the time
Everyone’s happy, they’re finally all the same
‘Cause everyone’s jumping everybody else’s train
