Merits and demerits to be registered as a World Heritage Site.

Merits and demerits to be registered as a World Heritage Site

※Shirakawago of Gifu prefecture in Japan which has been registered as a world heritage site is taken as an exemplary case.

■ Merits

・Pride of being registered as a World Heritage.
　-> Local people do not know the local goodness. Not all the people in Shikoku are enthusiastic about the Shikoku pilgrimage. But if it is registered as a world heritage, the local people who are not interested in Shikoku pilgrimage may get interested in it.

・To set registration as a goal would motivate the movement of protection and inheritance of Shikoku Pilgrimage.
　-> Currently, organizations are operating independently. But by sharing one goal they can be united.
　-> Those who are engaged in the maintenance of pilgrim road are mostly elderly people. In the near future some of the pilgrim roads may become unusable due to the shortage of manpower for maintenance. If , by registration, the younger generation may get interested in Shikoku Henro, or feel proud of it and come to join the activity of its conservation, then Shikoku Henro will be safely inherited by future generations.

・Registration obligates the country concerned and the international community to bear the responsibility of its preservation. In this manner Shikoku Henro may receive the support from the country and the world.
　-> However, there is no subsidy from UNESCO.

・Economic effects by tourists
　-> Shikoku Henro is a pilgrimage for Buddhists. But the number of Buddhists is one fifth of that of Christians. This is a pilgrimage road Kukai walked, but Kukai is not a well known figure in China or Thailand where there are many Buddhists. Therefore, under the present circumstances, it is hard to expect that the road will be visited by many people, unlike in the case of the pilgrim road in Spain. In fact, a year after "Shikoku Pilgrimage" was introduced as one of the "52 places to visit worldwide in 2015", the number of pilgrims from abroad did increase, but less than twice. Even if it is registered in World Heritage registration, there is a possibility that many economic effects can not be expected Registration as a world heritage does not guarantee much economic effects.

■ Demerits

・Because of the intervention of the Agency for Cultural Affairs one must fulfill more duties to let the world heritage continue.

・We will face a progressive environmental destruction by tourists. Environmental destruction by tourists will progress.
　-> More people would sleep outdoors, which may frequently cause troubles with local people.
　-> In the case of ordinary tourism industry one may earn by selling souvenirs and restaurant management and so on. In the case of “Osettai”, however, with increasing tourists more expenditure will be unavoidable on the side of offering “Osettai”, which will be serious burden on the local people.
　-> Even now, in the present unregistered state, free lodgings(Zenkon-yado) are disappearing. If the number of tourists increases, it is certain that more such lodgings will disappear.

・Business outside Shikoku will land in Shikoku.
　-> It is likely that they sell things irrelevant to the pilgrimage to the tourists.
　-> Risk of promoting projects with priority to profits which are not beneficial for Shikoku Pilgrims.

・Most jobs may become tourism related, and the original charm of each region may be lost.
　-> Farming will be neglected, and the field will be deserted. Or the land may be sold to a realtor and converted into a facility for tourism. After a short period of booming the business may go bad and the area may become deserted. Or the land may be sold to a realtor and converted into a facility for tourism. After a short period of booming the business may go bad and the area may become deserted.
　-> Merchants give priority to the profit, and so immediately withdraw if profit does not come by.
　-> When busy, the time to be in touch with people decreases. Kindness disappears.
　-> Facilities such as convenience stores and vending machines may be introduced along the pilgrim road for the convenience of pilgrims. The more travelling becomes convenient, the less will be the sense of appreciation one feels when entertained by “Osettai”.
　-> It is said that the custom of “Osettai” has its origin in Kansai. However, due to the expansion of tourism and the resulting vulgarism it faded away long ago. The same may take place for Shikoku Henro if tourism progresses excessively.
-> Although visitors want to experience the proper "history and culture" of the region, the local people tend to be more inclined to changes and generous to tourism.

・Tourists who visited the pilgrim road before registration as a world heritage would be disappointed at finding the old place changed into a site of tourism.

・Anxiety that the mystique of sacred places and the reverence for Kobo Daishi may be diminished by tourism

・People will be divided into two, those who want to protect their lives and those seeking further economic lucrativeness, and they will be in confrontation.

　We expect that Shikoku Pilgrimage will eventually be registered as a world heritage. But to make it come true, it is necessary to take measures for the above stated demerits.

▲