Asked what it is like to be a goddess, Hiroko Koyama laughs. Of course she's not really a goddess, she says, "but if some of our congregation believe me and my mother to be so blessed, well, there's not much we can do about it."

Now that Mihoko Koyama (known as Kaishusama, the first president) is growing frail, Hiroko finds herself responsible for the organization her mother founded in 1970.

Shinji Shumeikai (from the characters for "god" and "excellent light") is one of 600 or more religious groups or sects in Japan. Breaking away some 20 years ago from the Mokichi Okada Association (MOA), based in Kanagawa Prefecture, SS now claims 300,000 followers worldwide.