Every New Year’s Eve, Buddhist temples across Japan ring their bells exactly 108 times. The ringing starts late into the evening and continues on into the first day of the year. The most common and popular theory as to why … Read More
Have you ever heard the Japanese word “Hatsumode”? Visiting to shrines and temples at the beginning of the year is called “Hatsumotode” and it is a traditional part of Japanese culture. Japanese have tutelary god in their communities at the … Read More
One of the most famous names in Japanese history is Sugawara no Michizane. This name is known all over Japan and is considered as much of a household name as Ieyasu Tokugawa. Sugawara no Michizane is enshrined in hundreds of … Read More
An “onsen” is a Japanese hot spring, including the bathing facilities and inns frequently situated around them. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsens scattered throughout its length and breadth. While earthquakes occur often in Japan, it … Read More
The Kencho-ji Temple is the oldest Zen training monastery in Japan, and ranks first out of five temples that are called “Kamakura’s Five Mountain Zen Temples.” This temple was built in 1253, which was the fifth year of the Kencho … Read More
What is Sendazuru?-The most beautiful Origami: Senbazuru Have you ever heard of the story of Sadako Sasaki? The 12-year-old Sadako Sasako developed leukemia right after the atomic bomb hit Hiroshima. She tried to make 1,000 Origami cranes in order to … Read More
11 Yokote Snow Festival Every year on February 15th, beginning 450 years ago, there is a traditional event in honor of the Japanese water deity. The word “kamakura” means “igloo.” During the Kamakura festival, you can see many big Kamakura … Read More
6 The Sendai star festival The Star Festival is derived from the legend of Vega and Altair. This princess and prince had much fun being together and stop working hard on their royal duties. The king was angered by this … Read More
The word of festival in Japanese is “Matsuri”. The purpose of having traditional events and local events is to create community revitalization. It looks like there are many different kinds of festivals in Japan, however, they all originally derive from … Read More
Dokuonji is a temple that was constructed nearly 400 years ago and holds a rich history. Regardless of nationality or religion, anyone is welcome to join monthly meditation and Sutra writings at Dokuonji. Once a year, Dokuonji hosts a temple … Read More
There are many factors that go along with becoming a Buddhist monk. It is generally understood that monks live drastically different lifestyles than most people, however, people rarely consider their diets. Along with the other unique aspects of their lives, … Read More
Kitakyushu is close to many Asian countries, and because it is conveniently located on the strait connecting Tokyo and Shanghai, it has been blessed with prosperity as a gateway to Asia and as an industrial base in Japan. Have you … Read More