Shikoku: The Japanese Island of Pilgrimage and Spirituality
Shikoku, although the smallest of Japan's main islands, plays a huge role in the country's spiritual heritage. It's home to ...
Giant statue of ancient Buddhist monk in southwest Japan cleansed ahead of spring festival
One of the country's largest statues of Buddhist monk Kukai (774-835), posthumously called Kobo Daishi, at Imayama Daishi ...
10 unforgettable experiences for your next trip to Japan
In a nation as culturally rich as Japan, it can be hard to know how to spend your time there. Here are ten of our favorite ...
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Temple bells part of scrap metal used to fuel Japan’s war effort
In 1941, when the Japanese government was salvaging metal from wherever it could for the looming Pacific War, the nation’s largest Buddhist group readily handed over its temple bells for the ...
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As sales of Japan temples and shrines surge, a crackdown on bad-faith buyers
SANBAGAWA, Gunma Prefecture--Benmou Suzuki’s dilapidated 420-year-old temple, located deep in the forest near a tiny Japanese mountain village, hardly looks like prized real estate. Yet the monk ...
Munya Chawawa's guide to Kyoto: hidden forest temples and uber drivers in white gloves
The comedian and satirist Munya Chawawa, who found social media superstardom on Instagram with his skits and musical parodies ...