Research

Research

Data-Driven Exploration

Every insight backed by peer-reviewed research, institutional data, and rigorous analysis. From neuroscience to market intelligence.

Key Findings

27%

of US adults identify as SBNR

Pew Research 2023

43%

of Japanese adults are SBNR — highest globally

Hakuhodo 2024

$894B

wellness tourism market in 2024

GWI 2025

530K

Camino pilgrims in 2025 — only 4% purely religious

Compostela 2025

60x

growth in foreign visitors to Kumano Kodō since 2004

Tanabe Tourism 2024

$3.2B

sound healing market, growing to $8.7B by 2035

Market Research 2024

5M+

copies of Ikigai sold worldwide in 70+ languages

García & Miralles 2024

111

RCTs in mindfulness meta-analysis (n=9,538)

Systematic Review 2023

$8.76B

psychedelic-assisted therapy market by 2029

Grand View Research 2024

30%

of US adults would trust AI for spiritual advice

Barna Group 2024

Core Research

Foundational data and market intelligence

Science & Neuroscience

Evidence-based exploration of consciousness, sound, and the brain

Philosophy & Traditions

Comparative religion, indigenous wisdom, and cross-cultural patterns

Body & Purification

Heat, water, plant medicine — the body as gateway to the sacred

World Sacred Traditions

Prayer, ritual, and ceremony across civilizations

Sacred Places of Japan

Beyond the tourist guide — places where you feel something

Japanese Gods — Kami of Eight Million
Mythology

Japanese Gods — Kami of Eight Million

Amatsu-kami, Kunitsu-kami, Harae-do no Kami — the pantheon that shapes Japan

Kojiki — Japan's Book of Creation
Mythology

Kojiki — Japan's Book of Creation

712 AD creation myth, kotodama (word-spirit), and the code of the gods

Suwa — Where Heaven Meets Earth
Sacred Site

Suwa — Where Heaven Meets Earth

Onbashira, Mishaguji, 78 generations of Moriya priests, Lake Suwa omiwatari

Togakushi — The Hidden Door
Sacred Site

Togakushi — The Hidden Door

Ame-no-Iwato myth, 500-year cedars, ninja school, mountain asceticism

Kyoto — 1,200 Years of Sacred Capital
Sacred City

Kyoto — 1,200 Years of Sacred Capital

17 UNESCO sites, Zen gardens, tea ceremony, Shijin-sōō sacred geography

Nara — Japan's First Sacred Capital
Sacred City

Nara — Japan's First Sacred Capital

Tōdai-ji Great Buddha, sacred deer, Hōryū-ji, Silk Road terminus

Kumano — Japan's Most Sacred Pilgrimage
Pilgrimage

Kumano — Japan's Most Sacred Pilgrimage

UNESCO Kumano Kodō, yomigaeri (rebirth), Yatagarasu, 1000-year pilgrimage, 60x foreign visitor growth

Kurama & Kibune — Where Reiki Was Born
Sacred Site

Kurama & Kibune — Where Reiki Was Born

Usui Mikao's enlightenment, tengu legends, water deity, fire festival, spiritual corridor

Takachiho — Where the Gods Descended
Sacred Site

Takachiho — Where the Gods Descended

Tenson Kōrin, Ama-no-Iwato, Yokagura all-night sacred dance, living mythology

Heitate Jingū — The Hidden Shrine of 15,000 Years
Sacred Site

Heitate Jingū — The Hidden Shrine of 15,000 Years

Goshinmon five-colored masks, 'navel of the world' claim, counter-narrative shrine

Yatsugatake — Sacred Mountains of the Center
Sacred Site

Yatsugatake — Sacred Mountains of the Center

Jōmon heartland, obsidian trade, Suwa connection, modern seekers gathering again

Mountain Worship — Sangaku Shinkō
Sacred Mountains

Mountain Worship — Sangaku Shinkō

Shugendo, yamabushi, nyonin kinsei, complementary sacredness — mountains as the original SBNR

Hidden Japan — Beyond the Tourist Guide
Deep Travel

Hidden Japan — Beyond the Tourist Guide

Sacred mountains, forbidden islands, hidden shrines — places that call to you

Indigenous & Living Traditions

Shamanism, Ainu, Ryukyu, Amami — Japan's living spiritual roots

Japanese Sacred Traditions

Shinto and Buddhism — distinct yet interwoven for 1,300 years

Japan Going Global

How Japanese spiritual DNA is reshaping the global conversation

Psychedelics & Consciousness

The $8.7B renaissance bridging ancient ritual and clinical science

Spiritual Trends & Practices

How modern seekers are creating new spiritual practices

Frontiers & Technology

Where ancient wisdom meets modern technology

Culture & Thought

How Japanese spirituality lives in folklore, literature, anime, and the world

Reference

Tools, databases, and source documentation

Research articles coming soon

Our team is preparing in-depth research reports.