If one conceptualises Brazilian nikkeis as an ethnic group based on social interaction, one becomes aware of how their Buddhist practices and survival strategies are distinct both from Brazilians and Japanese contexts. Although a new generation of Japanese descendents emphasizes the need for a cultural and linguistic adaptation, this openness is not fully realized in their Buddhist temples. Rather, due to the nikkeis' political and financial influence their religious institutions in Brazil continue to be limited to Japanese who identify themselves as nikkeis. As Japanese are known for a multi-religious attitude, a characteristic also typical for members of the Brazilian host-culture, many nikkeis show a twofold religiosity: on the one hand, they are Buddhists thus maintaining ethnic identity; on the other hand and in a similar way by which once there ancestors were integrated into their Japanese home-culture through Shintoism, they are committed to Catholicism as a means of integration into the greater Brazilian society.