Japan Navigator

Enryakuji is huge. Its buildings fill a whole mountain, its presence dominates the history of Japanese Buddhism. The temple was founded as a simple meditation hut, but grew into a monastery with its own army. Set up to protect Kyoto from the evil direction of the northeast, it often brought destruction to temples with different [...]

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Monasteries are traditional places of hospitality. They are large and spacious and used to taking in all kinds of people. Therefore, it is not surprising that the first Europeans and Americans who came to Japan to establish diplomatic relations, were housed in temples. Gyokusenji in Shimoda, where the first American Consul General, Townsend Harris, took [...]

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On the way to Kamakura from Tokyo, the train passes Ofuna, a station that grafts itself into memory because of the giant, white face of the Kannon that looks down upon the railroad from behind the hill. The modern statue (vintage 1960) had never impressed me as more than just a friendly face and I [...]

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Yugyoji stands on the fringe of the old Tokaido post station Fujisawa (the town that also has Enoshima within its borders). The grounds are spacious, dominated by the huge main hall and its steep roof, and adorned by a magnificent 700 year old gingko tree. It is a fitting site for the head temple of [...]

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to the Unveiling
even sparrows come
with the whole family
Kaicho ni | au ya suzume mo | oyako tsure
Issa
Nagano, the capital city of the mountainous prefecture of the same name, is – in contrast to most other prefectural capitals – not a former castle town. Instead of being an administrative center, in the past it was a [...]

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Daichiji is one of those great Shiga prefecture temples, that lie far from the beaten track and offer their own private universe. The difficulty of getting there is fully rewarded by the experience. On a hot summer day, cicadas shrilling around us, we visit the Horai or Paradise Garden of Daichiji to see the ship [...]

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Lunar Calendar: between 8/10 and 9/9, nationwide: Moon Viewing
This night, there are moon viewing parties and events at many shrines and temples. Also see what Basho wrote about moonviewing.

[Osawa Pond near Daikakuji]
Lunar Calendar: between 8/10 and 9/9, Kyoto: Kangetsu no Yube, Daikakuji
The most famous moonviewing party, called “Kangetsu no Yube” is held at Daikakuji (from [...]

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In ancient times in India there lived a great and benevolent king – King Ashoka – who was a convert to Buddhism and ardently promoted the religion. Under his reign, India became a Buddhist country. In his religious fervor, King Ashoka had 84,000 stone pagodas constructed, all containing a tiny relic of the Buddha. These [...]

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Japan is “the country of cute.” “Cute” is the ideal image of women, “cute” are cars, clothes, cups, plates, bags, and even police boxes have been marked with cute characters. Kawaii, “cute” is a style and a taste, everything that is small and innocent. There are cute expressions, cute gestures and cute ways to move. [...]

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tempted to knock the gate
of the Temple of the Three August Wells
today’s moon
Miidera no | mon tatakabaya | kyo no tsuki
Basho
Miidera, the “Temple of the Three August Wells,” officially called Onjoji, is a major Tendai temple at the shore of Lake Biwa. Basho loved this area and often stayed here for a longer time – [...]

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