Jill Colgan: It's an isolated hillside on the outskirts of the ancient capital Kyoto. The kind of place miracles happen ... of course I can believe that ... it says so in the advertisement.
The guy in orange is the man behind the miracles. The Most Reverend Seiyu Kiriyama, Chief Abbot, founder and President of the Agon Shu religion.
Well they did promise us a miracle here today ... and if they get the 400,000 that they say are going to turn up, it'll be a miracle.
Resembling the set of an epic movie, we're about to witness the 25th anniversary of Agon Shu's Fire Rites.
Two sacred pyres - one for the hopes of the living, the other to free the spirits of the dead.
Agon Shu swears they carried out this festival in Mongolia during a terrible drought - the heavens of course opened up. Today it rained only ashes.
Much of what I saw was sheer pageantry ... a loose, convenient grab bag of Buddhist, Shinto and theatrical routines.
The master himself is a self confessed convicted criminal - reformed, of course.
In his previous profession, brewing beer, he was caught committing one of the most heinous crimes in Japan - breaking the tax laws.
Now he's in the ultimate tax free bracket - his own religion.
Shizuko Okabe: About a little over ten years ago I joined, I had a problem with my young daughter ...
Jill Colgan: Sizuko Okabe has been a widow for 27 years - living in Hawaii, not far from Pearl Harbour. Family problems sent her searching from religion to religion before she became a devotee of Agon Shu.
Colgan: How did you know this right one?
Shizuko Okabe: Well I had a feeling, a very good, strong feeling, so I said, this is the one I have to join and I'll do it. When you look at these people, yeah, it's a very bright face. Before maybe there was a little bit sad, you know, or thinking something, but after you join, it's so happy looking.
Jill Colgan: It's astonishing so many Japanese are so willing to devote their minds and money to new religions which are proving as popular as ever.
It's only three years since Japan was shocked by the deadly actions of another not so distantly related cult which poured Sarin gas into Tokyo's crowded subway system. Yet even that doesn't seem to have dampened Japan's enthusiasm for a whole slate of new cults.
Woman: I'm selling good luck charms. Anybody want one? Everybody's welcome!
Woman: Want to buy a good wooden stick of gold and silver dragons?
Woman: Can I help you?
Jill Colgan: It's easy to see a religious fervour works, well miracles in parting a devotee from her money.
Shizuko Okabe: This is for the car. You put this on one year for your car. They protect your car. This one is Love God.
Jill Colgan: If I hold this, and
Japanese woman: ... make a wish
Jill Colgan: ... and make a wish, I should find my true love.
Japanese woman: Yeah.
Jill Colgan: I might not be finding my ..
Chant: Let's pray to the God of wealth for business, prosperity and thousands of customers.
Jill Colgan: There's a big dose of showmanship mixed in with the religion. Anything for a price. And the price of a blessing is about $30.
Young man: Next year will be the year for your dreams to come true.
Jill Colgan: Even fortune telling. Why not?
Japanese male voice: This year will be very good. From this year, you're fortune will come.
Jill Colgan: When I tried to get to the master himself to ask about his criminal past, I couldn't get past his minder.
Colgan: Is it true that the founder was arrested before?
Minder: I don't know much about it. I'm not sure. It hasn't got anything to do with Buddhism so I can't comment on that.
Jill Colgan: The ashes of thousands of wishes swept upward today, but I didn't see any miracles. Perhaps I wasn't; looking hard enough. Perhaps I didn't pray hard enough. Perhaps I didn't pay enough.
The guy in orange is the man behind the miracles. The Most Reverend Seiyu Kiriyama, Chief Abbot, founder and President of the Agon Shu religion.
Well they did promise us a miracle here today ... and if they get the 400,000 that they say are going to turn up, it'll be a miracle.
Resembling the set of an epic movie, we're about to witness the 25th anniversary of Agon Shu's Fire Rites.
Two sacred pyres - one for the hopes of the living, the other to free the spirits of the dead.
Agon Shu swears they carried out this festival in Mongolia during a terrible drought - the heavens of course opened up. Today it rained only ashes.
Much of what I saw was sheer pageantry ... a loose, convenient grab bag of Buddhist, Shinto and theatrical routines.
The master himself is a self confessed convicted criminal - reformed, of course.
In his previous profession, brewing beer, he was caught committing one of the most heinous crimes in Japan - breaking the tax laws.
Now he's in the ultimate tax free bracket - his own religion.
Shizuko Okabe: About a little over ten years ago I joined, I had a problem with my young daughter ...
Jill Colgan: Sizuko Okabe has been a widow for 27 years - living in Hawaii, not far from Pearl Harbour. Family problems sent her searching from religion to religion before she became a devotee of Agon Shu.
Colgan: How did you know this right one?
Shizuko Okabe: Well I had a feeling, a very good, strong feeling, so I said, this is the one I have to join and I'll do it. When you look at these people, yeah, it's a very bright face. Before maybe there was a little bit sad, you know, or thinking something, but after you join, it's so happy looking.
Jill Colgan: It's astonishing so many Japanese are so willing to devote their minds and money to new religions which are proving as popular as ever.
It's only three years since Japan was shocked by the deadly actions of another not so distantly related cult which poured Sarin gas into Tokyo's crowded subway system. Yet even that doesn't seem to have dampened Japan's enthusiasm for a whole slate of new cults.
Woman: I'm selling good luck charms. Anybody want one? Everybody's welcome!
Woman: Want to buy a good wooden stick of gold and silver dragons?
Woman: Can I help you?
Jill Colgan: It's easy to see a religious fervour works, well miracles in parting a devotee from her money.
Shizuko Okabe: This is for the car. You put this on one year for your car. They protect your car. This one is Love God.
Jill Colgan: If I hold this, and
Japanese woman: ... make a wish
Jill Colgan: ... and make a wish, I should find my true love.
Japanese woman: Yeah.
Jill Colgan: I might not be finding my ..
Chant: Let's pray to the God of wealth for business, prosperity and thousands of customers.
Jill Colgan: There's a big dose of showmanship mixed in with the religion. Anything for a price. And the price of a blessing is about $30.
Young man: Next year will be the year for your dreams to come true.
Jill Colgan: Even fortune telling. Why not?
Japanese male voice: This year will be very good. From this year, you're fortune will come.
Jill Colgan: When I tried to get to the master himself to ask about his criminal past, I couldn't get past his minder.
Colgan: Is it true that the founder was arrested before?
Minder: I don't know much about it. I'm not sure. It hasn't got anything to do with Buddhism so I can't comment on that.
Jill Colgan: The ashes of thousands of wishes swept upward today, but I didn't see any miracles. Perhaps I wasn't; looking hard enough. Perhaps I didn't pray hard enough. Perhaps I didn't pay enough.