Japanese graveyards are almost always linked to a nearby Buddhist temple and feature stone statues of various Buddhist deities, most commonly Jizō Bosatsu, Nyoirin Kannon and Amida. These three Buddhist deities are perhaps the most popular saviors in modern Japan. Curiously, funerals and graveyards are managed almost entirely by Buddhist temples, not by Shintō shrines. Shrines mostly handle christenings and baptisms and joyous events.
mark
The word "purikura" is shorthand for "print club" (purinto kurabu)." It refers to photo stickers that can be purchased in a photo booth. People enter a purikura booth (akin to machines that take pas…
The Yokosuka Line is one of the most widely used train networks for traveling directly south of Tokyo -- it stops at both Yokohama and Kamakura, which are two popular destinations for foreign tourist…
There are dozens of Buddhist temples and Shintō shrines in Kamakura. Kamakura was the thirteenth-century capital of Japan and is sometimes called Japan's "little Kyoto." Visiting its temples and shri…
Hatsumode 初詣 is a major New Year event. Hatsumode literally means "to pay the first visit of the year to the shrine," where one expresses gratitude for divine protection during the past year and ga…
Japanese post offices in most major Japanese cities accept foreign-issued bank cards and credit cards.
Sculpture and funeral rites are the forte of Buddhist temples. Sacred incantations, talismans, christenings and weddings are the specialties of Shintō shrines. Shintō shrines have little to see in th…
Attending a Japanese funeral can be stressful, even shocking, if you don't know what to do. The more you know beforehand the better, as you'll be able to comfort and support mutual friends and their …
Former Deep Japan Writer
In Japan, the color white is attributed to happiness and good times. Death is a time of mourning and so people must dress in the color of depression, black. Men usually wear a black suit with a black…
GenS
Ghosts and spirits hold a place in the folklore of many cultures around the world. In the western world, Halloween, observed on October 31st, is a time for scary, spooky tales, while Latin America…
jdlawrence
Enjoy taking bath with Babu(Bub), a popular Japanese bath tablet to Relax after Exploring Japan on Foot.All travelers know how sight seeing can be exhausting. Especially walking around on foo…
mimichan
To people new to Japan, the Tokyo subway system, stylishly called "Tokyo Metro" is a confusing labyrinth of lines going every which way. Orderly thought and planning, it would appear, seem to be the…
jdlawrence
If you wondered why Japanese people refer to Mt. Fuji as Mr. Fuji, you are not alone.When I first came to Japan, and actually until about two years ago, well okay, actually it still happens a lot…
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