A love of Japanese culture
A genuine wish to value Japanese culture and continue knowing and feeling it more deeply.
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ABOUT THE AMBASSADOR
About the Miko Ambassador
An official ambassador who loves, learns, feels, and shares Japanese culture through everyday life and public activity.
MIKO巫
A CULTURAL BRIDGE
Creating new encounters with Japanese culture.
Miko Ambassadors are official ambassadors who share Japanese culture in alignment with the mission of the Japan Cultural Heritage Association. Through shrines, festivals, cultural events, miko dance, traditional arts, and social media, they create new encounters with living culture.
Specialist knowledge is not required. Loving Japanese culture—and wanting more people to discover it—is where the journey begins.
ROLE & RESPONSIBILITY
Miko and ambassador—two distinct roles
The Miko Ambassador program does not replace the duties or religious role of shrine miko. It is an official cultural communication title for participants who learn the context and share its value responsibly.
Ambassadors respect the customs and communication policies of each shrine, always following local guidance first.
WHAT WE VALUE
What we ask of every ambassador.
Special qualifications or prior experience are not currently planned as requirements. Knowledge and skills can grow through the program.
Courtesy and respect
A willingness to honour each person and place through thoughtful conduct and language.
Care for others
The ability to consider cultural stewards, partners, and fellow ambassadors in every action.
A desire to carry culture forward
The motivation to share what you feel in your own voice and connect it with future generations.
THE ASSOCIATION
About the association
The Japan Cultural Heritage Association creates opportunities to encounter Japanese culture under the principle ‘From knowing Japanese culture to feeling it.’ Through priest and miko experiences, miko dance classes, Miko Kentei, traditional performing arts and craft experiences, corporate programs, and education, it carries the value of Japanese culture to future generations.
To cultivate the heart through culture, we understand Shinto as a spiritual source of Japanese culture and value embodied knowledge—learning through direct experience, not the intellect alone. As gesture settles, breath settles; as breath settles, the heart settles. We seek to bring that experience into daily life so individual wellbeing can grow into harmony across families, communities, society, and the world.
Visit the association’s official websiteAPPLICATION 2026
Bring Japanese culture into daily life.
Bring the wisdom of Japanese culture into everyday life and make each day richer and more joyful. Will you take the first step?
