Shngo, a small village in northern Japan with only one Christian resident and no church within 30 miles bills itself as Kirisuto no Sato (Christ’s Hometown).
In Shingo, the Greatest Story Ever Told is retold like this: Jesus first came to Japan at the age of 21 to study theology. This was during his so-called “lost years,” a 12-year gap unaccounted for in the New Testament.
Every year, 20,000 or so pilgrims and pagans visit the site, which a nearby yogurt factory maintains.
Some visitors shell out the 100-yen entrance fee at the Legend of Christ Museum, a trove of religious relics that sells everything from Jesus coasters to coffee mugs.
Some participate in the springtime Christ Festival, a mishmash of multidenominational rites in which kimono-clad women dance around the twin graves and chant a three-line litany in an unknown language.
The ceremony, designed to console the spirit of Jesus, has been staged by the local tourism bureau since 1964. Read more