Conclusions - Geography of Religion in Japan: Religious Space, Landscape, and Behavior - page 194

Omotesando of the Naritasan Shinshoji-Monzenmachi. The section further dis-
cussed the transformation of the commercial space at Shinshoji-Monzenmachi that
resulted from involvement in a landscape improvement project currently being pro-
moted at Omotesando . The discoveries made in this study are summarized below.
The formation of the city center of Narita has its origin in Monzenmachi and its
core at Shinshoji-Omotesando. The transformation of Monzenmachi can be divided
into fi ve different periods. Along with the dissemination of belief resulting from
expositions on Naritasan and Ichikawa Danjuro of Edo kabuki fame, which occurred
at the beginning of the eighteenth century, a belief in the fudo of Naritasan rapidly
penetrated the lives of the normal citizens of Edo. The Monzenmachi was then
formed mainly in Honcho and Nakamachi near Shinshoji in the eighteenth century
(the Monzenmachi formation period).
Beginning in the 1860s, worshipers of Shinshoji increased due to the laying of
railroad networks, which thereby enabled day trips to be taken from Tokyo. The
Omotesando expanded into Hanasakicho and Kamicho (located between Narita
Station and Shinshoji) where shops for use by worshipers stood and which fl ourished
as the central shopping street until the 1960s (the central shopping street period).
In the 1990s, a community planning council was organized by the shop owners
who felt a sense of crisis regarding the shopping street. Thus, community planning
was promoted along with administration (the reorganization of Monzenmachi in the
community planning period).
Omotesando succeeded primarily because of the cooperation of Shinshoji with
the administration. Shinshoji has not had any accommodations or dining facilities
within the temple grounds since the Edo period, and that fact was very important in
the formation of Monzenmachi . The towns benefi ted economically from worshipers
staying overnight, eating, and making purchases at Monzenmachi . With Shinshoji,
the development of Monzenmachi resulted in other mutually benefi cial relation-
ships. Shinshoji—where worshipers tend to concentrate in the New Year, in May,
and in September—desired an increase in the number of tourists and worshipers
during other months. The Narita Tourist Association, which was mainly established
by the Inns Association of Omotesando , made an effort to attract guests by holding
events in the off-season of Shinshoji to make it more attractive to guests throughout
the year. Some tourists come to visit Monzenmachi , but they also worship at
Shinshoji and visit the shopping street of Omotesando , thus making it a mutually
benefi cial relationship.
Sections 4.2 and 4.3 examined the revitalization of the local community through
the promotion of religious tourism. Today, the politics surrounding World Heritage
designations have created the important challenge of conserving and using cultural
landscapes, such as rural spaces. This topic examines the World Heritage registration
movement of the Nagasaki Church Group and Christian Related Cultural Assets as a
case study of what local faith-related heritages in rural areas and their cultural land-
scapes can expect, including the attention they will receive as a cultural heritage site.
In this topic, the author focused on the role of three main actors: the World Heritage
Association, who hopes to achieve the goal of World Heritage registration for the
Nagasaki Church Group; the administration, who wishes to create an opportunity to