Cultural and spiritual reverence
Learn the context first and follow the guidance of each shrine, community, practitioner, and host site.
09
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Program Guidelines
The principles that protect cultural integrity, participant wellbeing, and trust with every partner.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY
Protect culture and people before publishing any story.
These guidelines set the shared foundation for everyone involved in the Miko Culture Ambassador program. The role is clearly distinct from shrine service as a miko and is operated as a cultural learning and communication initiative.
Where a shrine, community, or activity has stricter requirements, its local guidance takes priority.
SIX PRINCIPLES
Six principles for responsible participation.
Accurate communication
Use confirmed information, avoid exaggeration or misleading certainty, and pause to verify what is unclear.
Permission for photography and publication
Confirm where and what may be photographed, then respect people, objects, spaces, and agreed usage rights.
Safety and care for place
Do not disrupt ceremonies or community activity. Follow access, dress, timing, and emergency instructions.
Dignity and human rights
Discrimination, harassment, defamation, or conduct that harms another person or the program’s integrity is not accepted.
Conflicts and confidentiality
Disclose possible commercial conflicts or overlapping roles and do not publish non-public information without agreement.
NO POPULARITY RANKING
The program will not run popularity votes or rank people by popularity.
This is a program grounded in reverence and collaboration. People are not ranked by follower or reaction counts; accuracy, conduct, consistency, and trust matter more.
PROHIBITED CONDUCT
Conduct that is not compatible with the program.
The final program terms will state prohibited conduct and response procedures, including the following. Applicable law and each host site’s rules always take priority.
Political activity or religious solicitation
Using the program or role for electioneering, political campaigning, conversion, donation solicitation, or similar activity.
False claims, impersonation, or misleading affiliation
Misrepresenting experience, title, qualification, shrine service, endorsement, or a relationship with the association or a shrine.
Conduct that harms dignity or human rights
Discrimination, defamation, harassment, threats, or excessively sexual or violent expression that harms a person or the program’s integrity.
Rights or privacy infringement
Unauthorized photography or publication, or misuse of a person’s image, copyrighted work, trademark, personal data, or non-public information.
Unauthorized commercial or fundraising use
Using the program name, logo, role, or activity material for advertising, sales, fundraising, solicitation, or other commercial purposes without permission.
Disregard for site rules or safety instructions
Ignoring access, dress, photography, conduct, timing, emergency, or other instructions from a shrine, community, host, or organizer.
Damage to trust or program operation
Spreading false information, disclosing confidential information, troubling stakeholders, or interfering with fair selection or activity.
Other conduct contrary to the purpose
Conduct materially inconsistent with learning, communicating with reverence, and carrying Japanese culture into the future.
CONCERNS & RESPONSE
How concerns are approached.
Detailed consequences and exit conditions will be defined in the final program terms. The current principle is careful fact-finding, an opportunity to respond, and proportionate case-by-case judgment.
Receive the concern
We first consider immediate safety, dignity, context, and urgency.
Confirm the facts
We do not decide from public claims alone and review relevant people, records, and chronology where possible.
Hear from the participant
The person concerned is given an opportunity to explain their understanding before a decision is made.
Determine a proportionate response
The association considers cultural impact, safety, prevention, and care for everyone involved on a case-by-case basis.
This page states the principles current at publication. Final participation guidelines and the code of conduct will be provided for review and agreement before activity begins.