I wasn’t able to take many photos during this visit (I asked and was politely told no), so I’ve included some photos I found online to help illustrate this post.

14th September update! I was looking through the Happy Science YouTube channel when I realised that some of the livestreams show a lot of the building. I’ve updated this post with a few screenshots to better illustrate what it’s like inside.

Context!

I’ve been visiting religious sites and centres for some time now, but after a point you run into the problem where you’ve visited all of the faiths in your immediate area. Where I live, all the major religions are represented – we have mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and so on, but meeting people from smaller religions can be trickier.

Fortunately, London makes this much easier for me, as it’s not too far away yet is also home to nearly every belief system in existence. This even includes Happy Science, a new religious movement mostly based in Japan, founded by Ryuho Okawa in the 1980s.

Little known in the UK, Happy Science is well established in its home country, running multiple temples, schools and even a political party. The Happy Science movement has been… controversial to say the least, with many describing the organisation as a cult. Happy Science is very outspoken on political issues like Japanese war crimes and the recent Hong Kong protests. More esoterically, Ryuho himself has also received criticism for claiming he has spoken to the spirits of recently deceased public figures – but more on that later.

Although its spiritual teachings are strongly based on Japanese Zen Buddhism, Happy Science does have adherents outside of Japan.  I found while researching the group that there’s been a big push in Uganda, of all places, but there’s also a small following in North America and Western Europe. I was curious to find out about their belief system, so I popped in to visit.

The Experience

Or… I tried. I turned up one afternoon during opening hours, but the door was locked despite a billboard outside advertising themselves to visitors. I came back a few days later, but there was a note saying they were out for a few hours (!). It was my last day in London, so I was determined to speak to them before I left.

That evening I popped in one final time. The note was gone, but the door was locked again.

At this point I realised you needed to press a buzzer to be let into the temple. After a brief moment where I questioned my sobriety, I pressed the button and was promptly let in by a Japanese gentleman in a suit.

This gentleman turned out to be the Head Minister of the Happy Science London Temple (he gave me his name, but to preserve his privacy I’ll just call him the Minister). He gave me some literature to read while he went off upstairs to handle something, promising to talk to me shortly.

While I waited for him to return I took note of the room I was in. Again I couldn’t take any photos so you’ll have to take my word for it – the ground floor room was narrow but richly decorated, with wood panelling everywhere. There’s a kitchen at the back, and on the left hand wall a golden shrine to El Cantare, who is effectively their interpretation of God. Soothing music was playing in the background throughout my visit.

On both sides of the room are bookcases showing Ryuho’s many, many texts (he has apparently written over two thousand books). They seemed to cover every topic imaginable- some seemed to be about the theory of Happy Science itself, while others talked about Xi Jinping, the Coronavirus and even aliens.

There were children’s books too, although they were all in Japanese. All of the covers looked professionally designed – if I wasn’t aware of who Ryuho Okawa was, I would’ve passed them in a bookshop without a second thought. I was amazed at how much literature this small group was able to produce.

Eventually the Minister sat down with me and we discussed Happy Science. Ryuho Okawa’s belief system is vast and seems to touch on a lot, but in a nutshell my understanding was that after World War 2, Japan became focused on materialism and lost its traditional connection to spirituality. This has happened all over the world, and has contributed to a rise in religiously motivated violence – Ryuho’s philosophy, from what I understood, is that all religions of the world have the same source, and that understanding this will help bring about world peace. Ryuho seeks to marry science with spirituality, thus the name “Happy Science”.

At least, this was the brief understanding I got. We discussed a lot, from how Ryuho was a sort of reincarnation of the Buddha to how the golden statues are there to radiate positive vibrations into the building, but it was a lot to remember. The Minister was up front about the more supernatural aspects of Happy Science – it’s not something that’s hidden from prospective members.

I asked the Minister about how he’d found Happy Science. For his privacy I’ll keep details vague, but he explained that he had joined the religion in the 1980s after finding that Ryuho’s books spoke to him on a spiritual level. He’s been in the religion ever since, representing Happy Science all over the world, afar as Bangladesh and New Zealand.

I got the impression that he was a genuinely well-meaning person and that Happy Science had given him a cause to work for. He seemed genuinely passionate about Ryuho’s message,  happily taking the time out of his day to answer the questions of a random person who just wandered in, unannounced.

The Minister was actually kind enough to let me see the rest of the building. On the second floor there’s a worship room, where a large golden statue of the Buddha meditating on a lotus takes the centre stage. Soothing music plays, and the room has the distinct smell of flowers. It’s quite a pleasant place to sit in.

The top floor hosts a sort of conference room, where I believe group events take place – sometimes these are advertised to the public. You can also arrange to watch Happy Science films here if you wish. There’s another El Cantare statue here, with a knife on the left and a sceptre on the right. The Minister told me that the knife represented fighting evil, and the sceptre representing the way to happiness.

Eventually we went back downstairs as the Temple was about to close. I’d spoken with the Minister for about an hour at this point, and he asked if I would be interested in hearing more, so I agreed to give him some of my contact details so they could email me their newsletter. I did notice on the form that I was signing up to be a ‘member’ – I pointed this out, but he insisted that I wasn’t becoming a ‘disciple’ and would just be put on their contact list. I went ahead with it anyway (he seemed delighted) but I did wonder if this is how they claim to have millions of ‘members’ across the world.

In return for this, I received two prayer books. They’re really short – the text would have easily fit onto one side of a leaflet. I’ve never seen a religion give such care and attention to such a short scripture before. He asked if we could take a photo of us with me holding the prayer book (I happily obliged). The Minister implied that this would be an important moment in my life.

At this point I grew worried that the Minister believed I was intending on converting – I later emailed him just to make sure that he understood that I was only a visitor. Despite the esoteric nature of Happy Science, I liked the Minister a lot and didn’t want to disappoint him.

Before I left, I also purchased a book about an interview with Margaret Thatcher’s spirit that had caught my eye, setting me back £10. However the Minister was kind enough to throw in a second book about Ryuho’s message for free.

There’s more – much, much more – I’d love to talk about Happy Science as an organisation, such as:

• The spiritual interviews/seances held between Ryuho and historical figures as diverse as Benjamin Franklin and Princess Diana.
• The numerous anime series they’ve made about their belief system.
• Their recent attempt to set up an extremely conservative news site publishing anti-China, pro-Trump articles (similar to the Falun Gong).
• Their prophecies of an imminent nuclear war between Japan, China and North Korea.

But this is a travel blog, and I can’t really do it all justice – the Wikipedia article has a good summary of some of the more controversial aspects of Happy Science, and I’d suggest you research the organisation for a while before paying them a visit. If I ever return I’ll probably ask about their thoughts on LGBT rights.

From my experience, though, I could understand why people would be attracted to such an esoteric group. While I was there, I did feel like I’d built a genuine connection to the Minister there. He really did seem genuinely passionate about Ryuho’s message. The initial pitch – a religion that seeks to bring about world peace through dialogue and the use of scientific theories to find the true cause of happiness – is very appealing by itself. I wasn’t treated with suspicion or asked to make any sort of monetary donation or purchase, which made me genuinely welcomed.

I think that a big reason a group like Happy Science can do well is that it’s effectively a cure for loneliness, a built-in family. The Minister genuinely does seem like a warm person and I actually felt a pang of guilt for not buying into it more. For someone in desperate straits, I could see them looking past the golden altars, the posters offering COVID-19 protection and books on talking to Putin’s guardian spirit if it just meant feeling like someone finally, sincerely cared about their well-being. For this reason, I’d suggest only visiting as a guest if you’re feeling emotionally ready for such an experience.

Helpful information

he Happy Science London headquarters is near Oxford Circus and easily accessed via Tube.

• The Happy Science London headquarters is near Oxford Circus and easily accessed via Tube.

• As mentioned before, although there may be a billboard outside inviting walk-in guests, you may still need to press the buzzer and ask to be let in.

• They have hot drinks available and a toilet if you ask nicely.

• The building has very steep steps to reach the worship area and conference room.

• If you visit the London Temple, the Minister seems happy to talk to you if he has time. You might want to phone ahead though.

• If you’d like to show respect, Happy Science adherents refer to their leader specifically as “Master Ryuho Okawa”.