What is SBNR?
Spiritual But
Not Religious
SBNR describes people who sense something beyond the material world — but don't identify with any organized religion.
They pray at New Year, say "itadakimasu" before meals, feel moved by autumn leaves, and find peace in hot springs. They call none of it religion. Yet something is clearly there.
In Japan, most people are SBNR without knowing it. MEGURI explores this unnamed spirituality — with data, stories, and experiences.
27%
of US adults identify
as SBNR (Pew, 2025)
+8pt
increase since 2017
fastest-growing group
88%
believe in something
spiritual (Pew, 2023)
Layer 1 — Global
SBNR Around the World
"Spiritual But Not Religious" is the fastest-growing spiritual identity in the Western world. These are people who sense something beyond the material — but don't belong to any organized religion.
27%
US Adults SBNR
Up 8 points since 2017 — the fastest-growing spiritual identity
Pew Research, 2025
1/3
Young Adults (under 30)
One in three Americans under 30 identify as spiritual but not religious
Pew Research, 2024
88%
Believe in the Spiritual
SBNR Americans believe something spiritual exists beyond the physical world
Pew Research, 2023
89%
Believe in a Soul
Nearly nine in ten SBNRs believe in the existence of a soul or spirit
Pew Research, 2023
Layer 2 — Japan
Japan: Where SBNR Is Everyday Life
Most Japanese people are SBNR without knowing it. They visit shrines on New Year's, say "itadakimasu" before meals, welcome ancestors during Obon, and feel something in autumn leaves — yet call none of it religion.
43%
Japan's SBNR Rate
Not religious, yet feel something sacred in daily life
Pew Research Center
67%
Forest Coverage
More than double the global average (31%). 30 minutes to any forest
FAO / Japan Forestry Agency
27,000
Hot Spring Sources
World's most. Over 1,300 years of bathing culture
Ministry of Environment
80,000+
Shrines & Temples
More than the number of convenience stores in Japan
Agency for Cultural Affairs
88
Sacred Pilgrimage Routes
Including the 88 temples of Shikoku — a 1,200km walking meditation
Shikoku Tourism Bureau
3,000+
Festivals per Year
Community rituals connecting people to seasons and ancestors
Japan National Tourism Organization
Science & Evidence
Ancient Practices, Modern Proof
Japan’s traditional practices are now backed by peer-reviewed research. Here’s what science says.
Forest Bathing
森林浴
Cortisol ↓
Significant reduction in stress hormones compared to urban environments
NK cells ↑
Natural killer cell activity increased — potential cancer prevention
Since 1982
Term coined by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture; 40+ years of research
Frontiers in Psychology, 2024 / PMC, 2023
Hot Springs
温泉
BP −15%
Evening bathing reduces hypertension prevalence by 15%
Gut biome
Different mineral compositions alter gut microbiota in unique ways
90+ years
Kyushu University established onsen research institute in 1931
Kyushu University, 2022 / Scientific Reports, 2024
Meditation
瞑想
88% ↓ stress
Nearly 9 in 10 practitioners report measurable stress reduction
10 min × 3/wk
As little as 10-21 minutes, 3 times a week shows clinical benefits
16,581 papers
Research papers published since 1966; two-thirds after 2016
Carnegie Mellon, 2025 / Multiple meta-analyses
Cultural Export
Japanese Concepts Going Global
Japan's spiritual and wellness practices are being adopted worldwide — not as religion, but as ways of living. These concepts carry 1,200 years of continuous cultural wisdom.
NHS
prescribes nature therapy
Shinrin-yoku
森林浴Forest Bathing
Born in Japan in 1982, now prescribed by the UK's NHS as 'green social prescribing.' Over 8,500 patients referred to nature-based therapy in England alone.
170+
Zen centers in North America
Zen & Mindfulness
禅From Temples to Tech
170+ Zen centers in North America. Google's 'Search Inside Yourself' program brought Zen-rooted mindfulness to corporate culture worldwide.
5M+
copies sold, 63 languages
Ikigai
生きがいReason for Being
The book 'Ikigai' sold over 5 million copies worldwide, translated into 63 languages. A life philosophy that resonates with SBNR seekers globally.
Global
design movement
Wabi-sabi & Ma
侘寂・間Beauty in Imperfection
From architecture to interior design, the aesthetics of imperfection and negative space are reshaping Western design philosophy since the 1970s.
$46.3B
global thermal springs market
Onsen
温泉Thermal Healing
Japan has 27,000 hot spring sources. The global thermal/mineral springs sector reached $46.3B in 2022, growing 14.3% annually toward $90.5B by 2027.
+47%
miso export growth 2020-2024
Fermentation
発酵Koji, Miso & Gut-Brain Axis
Japanese miso exports grew 47% from 2020 to 2024 (16,000 → 23,500 tons). Science is linking fermented foods to mental health through the gut-brain connection.
Sources: NHS England, GWI 2023, JETRO, Penguin Random House, team research
Discover
Already Here
You don't need to travel to a special place. The sacred is in the everyday — find it through your five senses.
Market & Trends
A Growing Global Movement
The numbers tell a clear story: people worldwide are seeking meaning, wellness, and spiritual connection outside traditional religion.
$16B
Faith-Based Tourism
Growing at 9.1% CAGR. Asia-Pacific leads globally.
$38B by 2034
Future Market Insights, 2024
$97B+
Wellness Tourism
Post-pandemic recovery driving unprecedented growth.
$203B by 2033
Precedence Research, 2025
$5.7B
Meditation App Market
Over 300M downloads across top 10 apps worldwide.
18.7% CAGR
Statista / Technavio, 2025
1/3
Under-30 SBNR
One in three young Americans identify as spiritual but not religious.
Fastest growing
Pew Research, 2024
Global Landscape
The Spiritual Tourism Boom
Wellness tourism has surpassed $894 billion. The average international wellness traveler spends $1,764 per trip — 41% more than general tourists.
$894B
Wellness Tourism
2024 market size, growing 9.1% CAGR
GWI 2025
$286B
Faith-Based Tourism
Growing at 15.6% CAGR to $671B by 2033
Market Research
$226B
Wellness Retreats
Projected $399B by 2033
Industry Reports
$8.76B
Psychedelic Retreats
Emerging segment, 13.7% CAGR
Baylor College 2023
Asia
Bali, Indonesia
Balinese healing, yoga, sound healing
Rishikesh, India
Classical yoga, Panchakarma, YTT
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Vipassana, monk-guided meditation
Kōyasan, Japan
Temple stays, dawn prayers, Okunoin
Americas
Sedona, Arizona
Vortex healing, shamanic journeys
Costa Rica
Yoga, Blue Zone, plant medicine
Peru (Iquitos)
Ayahuasca, San Pedro ceremonies
Esalen, Big Sur
Human potential workshops
Europe
Ibiza, Spain
Six Senses longevity, biohacking
Portugal (Algarve)
Surf × yoga, thalassotherapy
Switzerland
Medical wellness, clinical detox
Camino de Santiago
Walking pilgrimage
Sources: GWI 2025, Baylor College of Medicine 2023, CompareRetreats, Tanabe Tourism Bureau, team research
Sacred Journeys
Pilgrimage Routes of Japan
Pilgrimage is being redefined worldwide. Researchers found that purely religious pilgrims are virtually nonexistent — seekers walk for self-discovery, meaning, and connection to landscape.
60x
growth in foreign visitors since 2004
Kumano Kodō
熊野古道
UNESCO World Heritage pilgrimage routes through ancient forests
44%
of walking pilgrims are now foreign
Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage
四国八十八ヶ所
A 1,200-year-old walking meditation across an entire island
500K
annual visitors seeking transformation
Dewa Sanzan
出羽三山
Three sacred mountains — yamabushi ascetic training, waterfall meditation, fire walking
90%+
foreign guests at some temple lodgings
Kōyasan
高野山
Temple lodging, dawn prayers, and Okunoin night tours among 200,000 tombstones
530K
Camino de Santiago
pilgrims in 2025 — 176x growth since 1987. Only 4% cite purely religious motivation.
Compostela Records, 2025
68K
Kumano Kodō
foreign visitors in 2024, up from 1,100 in 2004. The Dual Pilgrim program with Santiago hit 5,000 completions.
Tanabe Tourism Bureau, 2024
44%
Shikoku Henro
of walking pilgrims are now foreign. Foreign henro ambassadors grew from 34 (2006) to 512 (2023).
Shikoku Henro Research, 2024
The SBNR Spectrum
SBNR isn't one thing. It's a spectrum of practices that share a common thread: seeking meaning beyond materialism.
Heat index based on market size and growth rate. Source: GWI, Pew Research, team analysis 2026
Why MEGURI
The World's First
SBNR Portal
No platform connects the dots between wellness, traditional wisdom, consciousness research, and lived spiritual experience. The space exists in three isolated silos:
Fitness & Secular Wellness
Yoga Journal, Headspace, Calm
Gap: Lacks philosophy and transformation
Traditional Religion & Tourism
Shrine networks, temple stays
Gap: No cross-tradition perspective
Occult & Personal Communities
Psychic salons, energy healing groups
Gap: No scientific grounding
MEGURI bridges all three.
Research-backed. Culturally rooted. Experiential. No other platform combines data-driven insights, philosophical depth, and practical guides in one place.
$6.8T
Global Wellness Economy
Bigger than IT ($5.3T) and Sports ($2.7T)
$226B
Retreat Market (2024)
Expected to double by 2030
Existing Players
Gaia
Yoga/metaphysics SVOD
883K paid
Mindvalley
Self-help courses
1M+ paid
Insight Timer
Meditation audio
35M+
IONS
Consciousness research
Niche
None of these cover Japan's unnamed spirituality with research-backed depth.
Experience
From Knowing to Being
Start where you are. Every path leads somewhere worth going.
Stay Connected
The latest research, stories, and discoveries — delivered twice a month.
Unsubscribe anytime. No spam, ever.