ABSTRACT
This chapter draws on research undertaken at Koyasan, a mountain temple complex located in the north-west of Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. It explores how those with the responsibility for maintaining the religious sanctity of the complex manage the demands of tourists. The chapter offers a new dimension to knowledge and understanding of the phenomenon of temple-stay tourism, albeit within the specific context of Koyasan. It briefly reviews the temple-stay tourism and the potential consequences of commodification. The chapter introduces the empirical example and discusses the research and its outcomes. The temple-stay programme in South Korea is unique in terms of both its scale and organisation. The temple-stay tourism in any context is susceptible to the challenges arising from the commodification of religious heritage for tourist consumption. The core focus of this form of temple stay is on religious practices, particularly praying for ancestors, and is available only to Japanese ‘believers’ who actively engage in Buddhism.
