Sacred Places, Pilgrimage, and Tourism - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 139

Fig. 4.6 Distribution of major shopping associations in Narita City, 2009 (The Narita City
Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Basic Plan for Vitalization of the Center of Narita
City, 2001)
There is no data available that focuses on tourists in Monzenmachi, so the
description provided is based on tourists to Narita. Figure 4.7 shows changes in the
number of visitors who traveled to Narita from 1970 to 2005. The number of visi-
tors increased from 1980 to 1990. The number of visitors who arrived by sightsee-
ing buses also increased during this period. The number of visitors arriving by train
increased until 1985, but decreased in 1990, when the number of visitors arriving by
private car rapidly increased. The number of visitors arriving by sightseeing bus has
decreased since 1995, and visitor numbers in 2005 were about one-third of the peak
in 1980. The number of visitors arriving by other forms of transportation has gradu-
ally decreased since a peak in 1990. The presumption is that the decrease in wor-
shipers at Shinshoji is connected to the decrease in the number of ko .
Figure 4.7 shows tourist visitors by month in 2008. Most tourists visiting Narita
arrive to worship at Shinshoji, and four times as many visitors arrive in January as
in any other month. Over the fi rst 3 days of the New Year, 2.9 million New Year
worshipers visited Shinshoji in 2007. In April and July, many tourists visit the
Taiko-matsuri and Gion-matsuri festivals, which are held at Shinshoji and at the
entrance of the Monzenmachi.
Information gathered by the Narita Volunteer Guide Association and shops along
Omotesando shows that most Shinshoji visitors are at least 50 years old. Groups
visit Inubosaki and Katsuura as part of sightseeing tours and usually arrive in buses
parked near Shinshoji. Hence, these visitors rarely visit the area to the south of
Nakamachi. However, individual tourists use the JR Line and the Keisei Line and
arrive via Kamicho and Hanasakicho. Most individual tourists arrive on day trips.
The opening of Narita Airport brought foreign tourists to Shinshoji. Users of
Narita Airport and airline crews frequently visit Shinshoji. Asians account for about