ABSTRACT
In 2009, aenokoto was inscribed in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (ICH). The power of the trademarks of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and ICH was slowly pulling aenokoto into the context of tourism. The “mechanical” method adopted by the Japanese government to compose its applications is a response to this characteristic of the ICH Convention, and no new evaluation of the candidates is carried out. The ICH Convention differs from the more famous World Heritage Convention in a number of important ways, and much remains unclear about the impact of ICH listings. World Heritage listings often raise expectations of increased tourism, with positive effects for the local economy. The same applies to ICH, but intangible heritage offers particular challenges. World Heritage Sites consist of tangible real estate, while ICH consists of the actions of living people.
