ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2 we showed that—contrary to the expectations of some scholars—virtual or cyber-pilgrimages have not really become a factor in the Japanese context, and that the virtual environment has not thus far shown any capacity to replace the ‘real’ one in terms of pilgrimage and of shrine and temple worship in general. However, this does not mean that the Internet offers nothing in terms of pilgrimage representation or expression. There is a sizeable presence of online sites relating to pilgrims, from social networking sites for pilgrims (e.g., e-henro.com for Shikoku pilgrims, online) to numerous sites created by pilgrim-bloggers reporting their activities and, in some cases, seeking to create or reinforce personality cults around themselves (issues discussed in John Shultz's chapter in this volume). There are also a plethora of sites that offer information about pilgrimages in Japan and that usually have a promotional dimension to them. While many such sites have been set up by various Reijōkai 霊場会—’pilgrimage temple association’, the term normally used for official organisations that oversee pilgrimage routes and temples in Japan—others have more overt commercial orientations and are run by companies and organisations that seek to promote pilgrimages in order to further their commercial interests—a factor, also, in the websites run by pilgrimage associations and temples.
