It's always good to hear from the younger crowd and what they think & experience, although I think their responses are somewhat scripted lol.You may think that these boys are in a reformatory. No! They are young BUDDISTS PRIESTS in a classroom of a Buddhist university in Japan! All of their fathers are Buddhist priests. The hereditary system of Japanese Buddhism is often viewed as a deviation from the original Buddhism. But that is not a fault of these boys. They were born into the system and have to live with it. How do they build their sense of identity and gain pride in their work, while most of other young Japanese pay little attention to Buddhism?
These vids reminds me of near similar cases back in one of my former Christian traditions, the Protestants, where in independent groups, some churches are 'inherited' via the family lineage and the next generation is trained up to take over to serve and ensure the continuity of the community.
Criticisms aside though, on the current state of Japanese Buddhism, these vids do give an impression that there is still hope and progress for its future on the shoulders of these younger generation, especially in times of greater choices and distraction.
What do you think?