by EITARO TAKEYAMA
KYOTO–The introductory instructions are simple: Bow to your computer, refrain from smoking and put your pens out of reach to remove the temptation of drawing graffiti. And get your money ready.
You are now ready to enter the new world of “air worshipping.”
A website called “Air Sampai” (air worshipping) that enables people to experience worshipping at famous shrines and temples in Kyoto without leaving their homes has gained in popularity.
The website, operated by Kansai Multimedia Service Co., based in Osaka’s Kita Ward, uses real images to give viewers the experience of walking through the sites in Kyoto. It also provides instructions on how to “show off your sophisticated manner.”
Shrines and temples cooperating in the project hope the online experience will lead to an increase in tourism and revitalize the local economy.
The verbal explanations are in Japanese, but the site features English subtitles.
The popularity of the website, which currently receives about 60,000 hits a month, is attributed mainly to its lighthearted approach to the very serious practice of worshipping.
For example, in the “trip” to Kiyomizudera temple in Higashiyama Ward, viewers are instructed to squat several times to experience the strain of climbing the stairs.
Asahi Shimbun for more