Hidden Christians Made Visible: An Ethnography of Tourism in a World Heritage Property of Japan

A decade-long nomination process for Japan's 'Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region' as a UNESCO World Heritage Site has not only recognized the cultural significance of these sites but also transformed them into a prominent touristic destination. This transformation has given visibility to the Hidden Christians, who practiced their faith secretly for 250 years during a nationwide ban on Christianity. The study reveals that this process has created distinct 'borders of memory' among different stakeholders—including the Prefectural Government, Catholic Church, tourism agencies, and local guides—leading to collisions and fusions in their aims and perspectives. These borders highlight the tension between two logics in Japanese cultural management: the logic of actualization and the preservation of the present.

Mateoc, R. (2023). Hidden Christians Made Visible: An Ethnography of Tourism in a World Heritage Property of Japan. Heritage, Contested Sites, and Borders of Memory in the Asia Pacific, 107–135. https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004512986_006