Above you see a Vespers prayer at the SSPX chapel in Tokyo, Japan. You can observe that the chapel has neither chairs nor kneelers and pews, which obliges the faithful to sit on the floor on their heels or crossing their legs Buddhist-style. It also does not have an altar rail. It seems to us quite strange that this tradionalist society, known for its liturgical precision, displays such a progressivist look in Tokyo.

Do these liturgical innovations represent an initiative of "inculturation" to the Japanese Buddhist habits along the lines of Vatican II assumed by a single priest in the Tokyo chapel? Or is it perhaps a general rule that the organization adopts in Eastern countries?

The photo above was published in one of the SSPX magazines with the caption reading - Vespers at the SSPX chapel in Tokyo. It was sent to TIA by a reader asking for an explanation. We don't have one.

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