Is it a cult?

So, I was returning home from Tsukuba Botanical Garden today and someone approached and started preaching me about luck, money and happiness using both english and google translate.

They were quite friendly and asked me what I studied. In the end she asked me if I can come with her to somewhere. I had the mind to lie that I have prior appointment with my friends. She then asked for my number and I lied that I didn’t have it yet but took my mail ID.

I don’t know why but I gave it and I kind of regret it now? She gave me her name and asked me to come at Lawson 100 near our university next weekend and gave me a pamphlet with has Mt. Fuji on it and some old guy’s picture. At first I when I saw the pamphlet on her I thought it is some tour club, but I was wrong.

I think it is some kind of cult. I am asking my tutor about it but I want to hear your opinion too if I am wrong or being judgmental.

I come from a small city in India and I have never experienced something like this so please be kind. 🥹

27 comments
  1. Thank you everyone! I have blocked her mail id and thankfully all of my socials are private. I will be careful from now on.

  2. The feeling you had there that something was wrong? You have to trust the feeling. Don’t talk with them if you can avoid it; you don’t need to be nice if they are persistent. Don’t give anybody your personal information. If you’re not like me and just ignore them, set up a dummy email account and give that address when you feel cornered. And then just never look at it.

    The chance that somebody just walks up to you in the street, strikes up a conversation, and that this will develop into a lasting and rewarding friendship is near zero in Japan. People who just talk to you almost always want to sell you something or recruit you into their religion.

  3. There are a lot of small cults in Japan. Never give anyone any of your personal information who comes up to you like that.

  4. One of my previous students visits the botanical garden often for work. She wouldn’t be very happy to hear that this cult has been roaming around those parts…

    Tsukuba — or rather, Tsuchiura — has quite a few gangs and people like you mentioned. There’s some shady massage parlors, too. Generally not dangerous as long as you stay away from them.

    Enjoy your stay.

  5. Tsukuba is rife with cults, they even have a bunch of signs on campus warning students about cults because the cults frequently target students. A bunch of them came to my door when I was living there, including a couple Buddhist ones as well as Jehovah’s Witnesses, who seemingly keep a database of English speakers so they can send their English speaking proselytizers to come attempt to convert them.

  6. Cult.

    My friend invited me to one of those stuff, but it’s called reiki? not sure. They preach that you can heal all kinds of diseases including cancer and bring good energy by saying some stuff while lifting your hands above someone.

    They were all really nice, but I’m not into those stuff.

  7. Oh, so these are the people who’ve come to my door three times already… 😬

  8. I’m genuinely curious, what about this interaction made you think there was any chance it wasn’t a cult?

    You seem to have good intuition anyway, trust it in the future!

  9. >I had the mind to lie that I have prior appointment with my friends.

    Why would you need to lie? Just say no. You don’t owe them any excuse whatsoever, so why waste your time on it?

  10. Sure is a cult. Reminds me of my mother in law and her SGI propaganda videos. Like a visually bland version of Scientology. These guys are very similar.

  11. Do a reverse uno on her and get her to join your cult!
    That’s what I used to do with Jehovah’s Witnesses (or whatever they’re called)… always had a laugh.

  12. Just a warning you might see them anywhere you go, and to ignore them.

    Moved back to the states a few months ago and my husband got approached by a Japanese lady trying to recruit him for the unification church.

    Cultists know no country lines.

  13. > started preaching me about luck, money and happiness

    Of course it’s a cult.

    Nine times out of ten if a Japanese person approaches you on the street, it will be about a cult. The 10th time is probably the NHK guy trying to catch you outdoors to force a signup.

  14. Anyone with pamphlets at the ready is trying to sell you on something. They are friendly just to seal the deal. Any really important information will be in your mailbox. If its reallly important, your kokkusaikoryu will send it to you as well. Things like the ‘how to not blow up your house by accidently leaving the gas on’ pamphlet and the like.

  15. If you’re asking yourself “is this a cult?”, 99% of the time the answer is “yes” lol

  16. I once heard there are more cult members in Japan than the entire population of Japan. How does that make any sense? Ostensibly a lot of them are in more than one cult.

  17. It is a cult. Be careful. These people prey on foreigners and hang out near common areas.. try not to go to that lawson 100. Do not meet her there…

  18. Life lesson to say no to people who approach you in public wanting your info or to go somewhere…

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