Pilgrimages in the secular age : from El Camino to anime / Okamoto Ryosuke ; translated by Iwabuchi Deborah, Enda Kazuko.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Okamoto, Ryōsuke, 1979- author.

岡本亮輔, 1979- author.

Contributor:

Iwabuchi, Deborah Stuhr, translator.

Enda, Kazuko, translator.

Series:

Japan library (Shuppan Bunka Sangyō Shinkō Zaidan)

Japan Library

Standardized Title:

Seichi junrei. English

聖地巡礼. English http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2019026978

Language:

English

Japanese

Subjects (All):

Popular culture--Social aspects.

Popular culture.

Tourism.

Japan.

Tourism--Japan--Religious aspects.

Tourism--Religious aspects.

Pilgrims and pilgrimages.

Physical Description:

175 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color), maps ; 22 cm.

Edition:

First English edition.

Place of Publication:

Tokyo, Japan : Japan Publishing Industry Foundation for Culture, 2019.

Language Note:

Translated from the Japanese.

Summary:

Religion and tourism seem to be an unlikely pair, but taking a look at these two human behaviors provides insight into twenty-first century society. In the past, holy sites were of immense importance to those who followed a particular religion, and these places used to attract many faithful pilgrims. These days, however, people without faith visit holy places simply to experience something out of the ordinary. Furthermore, many places without any connection to religion are being called "sacred" and attracting people's interest. What really drives people there, and what do people want to gain from the experience? In this book, the author discusses various pilgrimages in order to shed light on new types of religious views and faiths that have come into being in the twenty-first century. The book explores the Santiago pilgrimage in Spain; the eighty-eight temple pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan; B-grade tourist spots; so-called "power spots"; sacred anime sites; and more. Through examining these places and the people who visit them, the author discovers that in this secular age, holy places are no longer supported by religions and doctrines alone. The interchanges between a place and its community of people are what make a place holy - people are placing more importance on the shared image and experience expected to be had there.--adapted from publisher's description.

Contents:

The background to modern religious pilgrimages

Looking for holy things : what do pilgrims see?

From the goal to the process : non-believer pilgrims keep on walking

World heritage sites and holy places : discriminating between religious cultures

Making a sacred spot : how authenticity is born of a sham

My own private sacred site : power spots and diversity of prayer

Modern society and pilgrimages.

Notes:

Originally published in Japan by Chūōkōron Shinsha, 2015.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 168-175).

ISBN:

9784866580647

486658064X

OCLC:

1091359011