Monk Bar Of Tokyo

The Vowz Bar in Tokyo was opened in 2005. The uniqueness of this bar is that it is fully run by Buddhist monks. Everyday at 10pm, the bar co-founder and spiritual leader, Gugan Taiguchi, a blind monk gives a short lecture and responds to problems raised by the bar customers.










The monks behind the bar

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Buddhist Personality - Ryuho Ikeguchi

In the final days of 2011, Buddhist monk Ryuho Ikeguchi knelt before about 20 young people at a yoga event in Osaka. Sweating along with the participants as they went through a set of exercises, he spoke to them, though perhaps not in the manner one might expect from a monk.

I'm approaching things from a different place, asking the people if they would like to talk to this monk facing them, but outside the structure of Buddhism, says Ikeguchi, a 31-year-old monk at Chion-in temple in Kyoto's Higashiyama Ward -- head temple of the Pure Land sect. I want to better the image of Buddhist monks.





















Ikeguchi, originally from Hyogo Prefecture, had been following the life path tread by many of his family before him, studying Buddhist scripture at Kyoto University's graduate school and helping at the family-run temple. As part of his duties there he visited elderly temple parishioners, who invariably talked to him of the weather and their aches and pains.

There's no need for me, in particular, to do this, he thought. After all, Buddhist texts had nothing to say on the subject of joint pain. With this in mind, he began to shift his studies from scripture to the relationship between Buddhism and society. Against the express direction of his academic supervisors, Ikeguchi began to write his thesis on the subject. His supervisors fought his new direction furiously, and in the end he quit graduate school.

Ikeguchi joined Chion-in temple in 2005, but despite the company of some 100 monks, he felt no energy, no drive there. The label funeral Buddhism -- Buddhism as a religion practiced only as ceremonies for the dead -- had been slapped on the temple for some time, and even the funerals themselves were becoming simpler by the year. Visitor numbers were falling, and Ikeguchi began to wonder if people even thought of him and the other monks as superfluous. He began studying computer programming in preparation for a career change.

However, Ikeguchi hit upon a different sort of change. Hoping to make Buddhism relevant to society again, he decided to start a free magazine. And so began Free Style-na Soryo-tachi (Free Style Monks), written and edited by a staff of monks all in their 20s and 30s, some of whom came into the project through Twitter connections.

The magazine often features members of different sects as well as experts in the sociology of religion. There are also stories on monks doing support work for the homeless or the surviving families of suicides, discussions among young monks and academics on the future of Buddhism in Japan, pieces on the appeal of temple lodgings and even vegetarian recipes. Ikeguchi and the troupe behind the magazine believe that the way Buddhism is being communicated to young people is all wrong, and the free publication is part of their solution. So are the yoga events.

Ikeguchi has not faced an entirely warm reception, with many around him questioning what there is to gain from associating with different sects. However, Even regular companies should study the competition, he says, adding that understanding of what he's trying to do is growing as his efforts inspire positive responses from young people and attract increasing media attention.

The Free Style magazine is run out of just a single room in an apartment, packed with audio equipment, Buddhism-themed manga and even a small Buddhist altar. At present, each issue runs 10,000 copies, distributed at cafes in Kyoto and Tokyo.
People who were raised with their hands pressed together in prayer have a core, a center to the way they live, says Ikeguchi. But speaking to people who are confused about god or the Buddha, well ... That's where we have to do our absolute best. If everyone runs away from religion, our society will not improve.

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Japan's Ex PM On Pilmigrage Journey

Japan's unpopular former prime minister Naoto Kan has swapped high politics and power suits for a Buddhist pilgrimage of 88 ancient temples on the island of Shikoku.

Armed with a pilgrim's peaked straw hat, white shirt and walking stick, the former leader was spotted visiting Enmeiji temple, the 54th spot on the pilgrimage route, according to reports.




















It is not the first time Mr Kan has swapped politics for pilgrimages: he followed the same path in July 2004, when he was forced to step down as leader of the Democratic Party of Japan over a scandal relating to unpaid pensions premiums.

On that occasion, he shaved his hair, donned his pilgrim's outfit and dutifully embarked on the same temple route in Shikoku, an ancient 1,200km loop which is among the most famous of Japan's pilgrimages.

During his current pilgrimage – taking off from where he finished before – Mr Kan is travelling solo aside from security officers and is most likely staying in spartan rural temples and blending in with other crowds of Buddhist pilgrims.

When asked what was on his mind, Mr Kan gave no indication that he was seeking repentance for his political performance and plummeting popularity during his one-year tenure as prime minister.

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Zen Farming

Masanobu Fukuoka, the writer of the book "The One-Straw Revolution: An Introduction to Natural Farming" believes that natural farming is tied to the spiritual health of the individual, and his growing methods are influenced by Zen Buddhism, Taoism and the Bible. He developed his method of "do-nothing" farming over 30 years. A man after my own heart, he believes weeds are beneficial to the crop, and that reliance on chemicals and poisons is anathema to healthy plants or humans.

His way of farming is based on two main observations:

•Japan grew food for 1,500 years without artificial fertilizer or deep plowing or chemical herbicides, insecticides or other poisons on the same land with excellent results, but these fields "have now been laid waste by the exploitive farming practices of a single generation";

•Left on its own, soil will always be replenished by nature: weeds, animals, brush and trees. There is no need for fertilizer or chemicals to kill insects or weeds.

The success of his method is based on seeing agricultural practices strictly for their utility.

For example, he grows rice on dry land, rather than flooded fields, because he found that he can produce as much without the greater effort. The reason fields had been flooded when the practice began 1,500 years ago was to reduce weeds. He can do the same by planting white clover, with the beneficial result of adding fertility to the soil.

His four principles are:

•No cultivation. It stirs up weed seeds deeply buried and promotes erosion and loss of topsoil.

•No chemical fertilizer or prepared compost. "Left to itself, soil maintains its fertility naturally."

•No weeding by tillage or herbicides. Weeds balance the biological community.

•No dependence on chemicals. "Nature, left alone, is in perfect balance."

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Manga & Buddhism In Japan

Tokyo's otaku generation is being wooed by an unlikely source -- a Buddhist temple in Hachioji, according to Japan Style.






Ryohoji temple, built in the 16th Century, began its makeover thanks to chief monk Shoko Nakazato, who in June 2009 set up a manga-inspired sign to "tell the people that temples are a fun place to visit."

Since then though, the temple has become known as "Moe-dera" ("newly budding temple"), a reference to "moe" -- a feeling of attraction to a blossoming young girl, usually a manga character -- while "dera" means "temple."




Ryohoji now has its own theme song and CD which includes karaoke versions, fronted by Ryohoji's own character, designed by artist Toromi. A statue of the character, called Toro Benten, was revealed in a special ceremony and features a young girl with sword aloft representing the goddess of art and wisdom.

Monks are seen praying to the statue on videos at the temple's own website. The character is also played out by a young girl in costume, who invites people to festivals at the temple and has been carrying out recent ceremonies and entertaining customers at a tent maid cafe right outside the temple.

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Buddhist Personality : Keisuke Matsumoto

Keisuke Matsumoto, 30 was born on June 26, 1979 in Hokkaido, Japan and holds a Bachelor Degree in Literature from University of Tokyo. soon after his graduation and much consideration he decided to devote himself to Japanese tradition and philosophy instead of joining the corporate world. Today he is a Japanese Buddhist priest at Komyoji Temple Tokyo who is currently doing his MBA at the prestigious Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hydrebad, India

To him a business corporation is not much different from a temple. The only difference is the objective. Business corporation is going after monetary profit whereas the objective of a temple is happiness to its followers. When he first joined the priesthood, he spent 6 months in the temple headquarter in Kyoto leading a strict and disciplined life before moving to a temple in Tokyo where he conducts Dharma lessons to the members of the temple.

.Why does a Buddhist priest need an MBA ? Here's what he has to say.

Some people also ask me, do you resign a Buddhist priest and try to find another job?

I know some students in B-schools try to change their careers. But I have no intention to find a new job. As a Buddhist priest, for the future of Buddhism, I am going to study management in a B-school.

When I talk to some other priests about it, they sometimes say angrily to me, "Are you going to take advantage of Buddhist temples to make a profit?" I guess the word "Business School" causes misunderstanding among them.

First, keep one thing perfectly clear. The reason that I go to B-school is NEVER to take advantage of temples to make a profit. Rather, conversely, because I wanted to reform the structure of Buddhist organization to retrieve spirituality in temples, I decided to study management at B-school.

In the past, temples were important for Japanese in every point of life, as playgrounds for children, schools for young people, and preaching centers for elderly people. But, they lost their popularity significantly. Today, most people think of the temples just as ceremonial halls for memorial services. Very few people visit the temples to satisfy their spirituality.

My temple in Tokyo is situated in the heart of the city, surrounded by numerous corporate offices. I used to often see many young men and women pass by. Like youth in India, even the Japanese think that temples are conservative places and do not usually not appeal to them.

As my first initiative, I launched the Young Buddhist Association with the help of my college friends and as one of our first activities, we hosted a music concert in the premises of the temple. Then I started noticing youth even more, observing what they do and what they enjoy. Spending time in cafes was another thing that they enjoyed, so we launched a cafe in the temple. We asked young people to just come and spend time there. Even with a small menu of drinks and desserts, all on the house, the place was a hit. In return we asked the visitors to donate money to the temple

Of course, the fact doesn't mean that few Japanese people now seek religious feelings. If you visit some institutions of new religion, you can find many people who seriously devote themselves to it. The thing is, traditional Buddhist temples don't meet religious need of modern people, simply.

In the post-war period, Japanese have been facing a loss of identity and crisis of confidence in their futures. It was one of the reasons I became a Buddhist priest, which I thought was the best way to support Japanese spiritually and ideologically.

Through my study and work in temples for seven years, I have increased my confidence in the potential of Buddhism. But I have also realized that there is a critical shortage of monks who can update temples to meet modern needs-- without spoiling their religious traditions. That's why I want to study in a B-school.

I am sure, we can change.

In the past, temples were social enterprises, and Buddhist priests were social entrepreneurs in Japan. In fact, believe or not, from old times to the present, the history of Japanese Buddhism has been a continuous change and innovation. It's the history of leadership and entrepreneurship of many great Buddhist monks.

I always bear in mind this prestigious tradition and have encouraged myself to be entrepreneurial without losing sight of our primary goal, the spiritual welfare of all people.

Why an Indian MBa ?

Because India is the country I consider as Japan's important partner and the root of Japanese spirit. And above all, India is definitely my favorite country. Since my first visit, I have been attracted by its ancient history, contemporary culture and adorable people. After graduation, I will be proud to become a "missionary" of contemporary India to Japanese people. With my wife and a son (his name is Ganga), I want to fully enjoy myself at ISB in Hyderabad, India.

Currently he lives in the campus with his wife and his two year old son, Koga. He says that while he is in India, he also tries to learn more about Hinduism. As a student he dresses casually just like other students but still devotes his time to chant and conduct religious rituals everyday. Everything that he learns in class, he will try to put them in the context of a temple.

Upon completion of his MBA, he hopes to join the management of his temple and brings positive changes in line with the modern time.




















The student village at ISB where he staying


















The Komyoji Temple which he is attached to.

The view of the temple from outside. The temple is located right in the middle of Tokyo's business district.





















The main shrine of the temple


















The cafe inside the temple which caters not only for the temple's members but also for people working nearby

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Buddhist Personality - Kakuho Aoe

Kakuho Aoe is a 33 years old technology savvy young man and he is a Zen monk at Ryokusenji Temple in Tokyo, Japan. He holds a monthly event called 'kurayami gohan' (eating in the dark) in the temple and on each occassion only limited guests, normally about 2 dozens, will be invited.

All the guests will be blindfolded before being led by the staff to a tatami room ( a traditional Japanese room ). His wife will start an ice breaking session by asking the blindfolded guests to play a game called 'janken' ( rock, paper, scissors ). Each guests will hold the hand of the person sitting next (right) to them to figure out the shape he/she makes. After the game, the guests will have a little chat before the food are served. The food served are vegetarians but the menu is not made known to the guests in advance.

Once the food are served, the guests will have to 'search' for their chopsticks by touching. Since the guests are not able to see what they eat, they will start to guess by using all their other senses other than sight. Different food make different sound when eaten. When the dinner is over, Kakuho will emerge to explain each of the dishes which he prepares himself to the guests and answers their questions.

Aoe, a business graduate from Fresno State University once had his own company dealing with aroma theraphy before decided to enter the temple. He wanted to help people around him through Buddhism. Today his temple has close to 1000 followers and he communicates with some of this computer savvy followers using internet. Aoe started this event in 2008 when he realised that in today's fast world, people are always in the rush and do not concentrate on the act of eating. By being blindfolded, his guests can concentrate fully on eating and the food they eat.

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Buddhist Personality : Shinno Yamasoba

Shinno Yamasoba (58), the vice head priest of at Daiyoji Temple in Hyogo Perfecture, kami town, Japan gives an insight of Buddhism in Japan and being a Buddhist in general.

More characters and longer words don't mean more meaning. When Japanese Buddhists die, they receive a kaimy ō (heavenly name) for their next life. Each kanji expresses something about the deceased's life and the more characters we put together, the more it costs. Many people believe that the longer the name, the better it is and the happier the person will be in his or her next life. It's not true! That's like thinking that a bigger house will make one feel better. Or that the more one talks the smarter he or she is.


We'll know if the road was correct when we arrive. That's how we Buddhists think. But since a monk's road is never straight, the trip is always fun. It really doesn't matter where I'm going.

Our bodies need fuel but it is our minds that need nourishment. Shojin ryōori is the traditional Japanese vegetarian cuisine at Zen temples. Monks in training eat only this type of food to cleanse their mind and heart. Actually most young men want to eat meat but they get konnyaku steak (jelly-like food made from yams) instead. We also don't eat any vegetables that have a strong odor, such as scallions, garlic and the like. This cleansing process takes 100 days, but for Zen monks it takes three years. During training our diet is so low in calories that we feel physically weakened, but mentally we get sharper every day.

Ceremonies help the healing process. In Buddhism, we have many rituals to remember the deceased. After the death of a loved one, his or her relatives and friends go to the temple to pray every seven days until the 49th day, which is when he or she is reborn. There are countless more events in the first year and many more later on. After three, seven, 13, 17, 25, and 33 years, we have major ceremonies. Also, a few times each year relatives gather at the temple for prayers and a feast. All these events are chances to share memories of the deceased and to help everyone heal and move on.

Kids are smart: If there's a way to skip school, they will find it. In Japan, many children quit going to school simply because they can. Parents and teachers appear to easily accept this kind of behavior. Any excuse, real or imagined, works — bullying is a good one, because nobody can really check if it is true. This means many kids of high school age are at home, playing games at night and sleeping all day. After a while, parents ask for our help to get those young adults out of the house and working. Maybe we need to accept the fact that not everyone needs or wants a formal education.

Technology should not be blamed for human error. Japanese digital technology is so advanced that it's possible to make perfect replicas of things. Our replicas, however, turned into cheap-looking copies because we made the mistake of hiring an art director to guide the technology team. This director manipulated the images to recreate what he thought the paintings might have looked like 200 years ago. He used more gold leaf and brightened the colors. His added touches destroyed Ohkyo's original strokes. Luckily, at certain times each year visitors can see the originals on show.

The best and worst part of Japanese culture is the concept of shikataganai. This means that we accept reality as is and we don't blame anyone. If we feel frustrated, we blame ourselves, because ultimately everything that happens to us is our own doing, our own fault. For example, even though the replicas are not what the originals look like and not what we wanted, we still paid the full price — 0 million — and accepted the outcome. It's all over and done with, so there's no point in crying over spilled milk. That's shikataganai.

I'm not a real monk yet because it's hard for me to accept everything and forgive everyone. I'm still a deshi, a young man in training. My wife's the best monk. She's the most enlightened being I know.

Life is dark and filled with hardship, so people need religion. Everyone experiences tragedy at some point, and at that moment, the power of religion becomes apparent. It was the same for us, too. Our second child was born sick, and we were told that she would die in one week. We cried so hard and wondered why such a tragedy had to happen to our family. Buddhism helped us a lot. Back then, we prayed a lot together. We still do.

The happiest place to be is in the position to help others. If I didn't study Buddhism, I wouldn't have drawers of knowledge to open and share with others

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Japan's Monk Cafe

Koyasan, a sacred Buddhist site located over 400 kilometers from the capital, offers some solace, albeit temporary, to would-be Tokyoite pilgrims by opening the doors to “Koyasan Cafe” in the central business district of Marunouchi.

Buddhist monks attending the café won’t be offering the early morning liturgy practiced at Koyasan, a Unesco World Heritage site that dates back about 1,200 years on the densely forested mountain southwest of Tokyo. But the café which opened on the seventh floor of the Shin-Marunouchi Building near Tokyo station on Sept. 1, monks from Koyasan would give instruction in Buddhist teachings during seminars that proved popular with local office workers during last year’s version of the now-annual event.

The purpose of the café, which remains open until Sept. 12, is to promote travel to Koyasan. Last year’s edition, the third, drew about 3,500 visitors in just six days. And organizers — the event is led by the Kongobuji temple and the Nankai Electric Railway Co. that links Osaka to Koyasan — say it’s a particular hit with female office workers in their 30s or 40s stopping by after work, accounting for more than 80% of all visitors.

Koyasan Café-goers can try making a handwritten calligraphic copying of Buddhist sutras called “Shakyo” (free of charge with no need for reservation in advance). Also visitors can experience “Ajikan” meditation (similar to “zazen” practices), as well as attend seminars about Buddhist statues — reservations required, and already those seminars are fully booked. For the more casual visitor, typical Koyasan dishes are on offer, including versions of “Shojin Ryori” vegetarian cuisine.

It’s not just contemplative Japanese citizens who’re coming to appreciate the charms of Koyasan: While the overall number of tourists to Koyasan in the year 2009 grew 3.2% to 1.265 million, according to Wakayama Prefecture data, the number of overnight foreign guests among the total grew 7.8% to 38,108. Tourists from France accounted for about a third of the overseas visitors.

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Buddhist Personality : Kiyoshi Hikawa

Name : Kiyoshi Hikawa
Nationality : Japan
Date Of Birth : 6th September 1977
Profession : Singer

He is a famous enka ( a type of japanese traditional songs ) singer.

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Buddhist Personality : Nagai Hidekazu

Name : Nagai Hidekazu
Nationality : Japan
Date Of Birth : 3rd January 1970
Profession : TV Comedian

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Wooden Temple Of Japan

Horyu-ji Temple was built in the 13th century and is the oldest wooden temple in Japan. The temple is made up of two areas, a five storey pagoda and Kondo Hall ( Golden Hall )in the western part and the Yumedono Hall ( Hall of Dreams ) in the eastern part of the complex.

The temple keeps about 100 highly artistic Buddhist objects and sculptures ,some of them were kept here since the days Buddhism was introduced in Japan. It offers spectacular view to visitors during the cherry blossom season.

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Buddhist Personality : Naoto Kan

Name : Naoto Kan
Nationality : Japanese
Date Of Birth : 10th October 1946
Profession : Prime Minister

Naoto Kan is the leader of the Democratic Party Of Japan (DPJ) and the new Prime Minister of Japan. On June 2, 2010 his predecessor, Yukio Hatoyama resigned as the leader of the (DPJ) as well as his post as Prime Minister. As Finance Minister then, Naoto Kan was designated as the Prime Minister on June 4 and was formally appointed as Japan's 94th Prime Minister by Emperor Akihito on June 8, 2010.

Unlike most of his predecessors, Kan who is often known as Ira-ken due to his short temper, comes from an ordinary working class family. He is an outspoken populist who started his political career as an environmental campaigner. An aspiring scientist in his youth, Kan majored in physics at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and opened his own patent office in 1974. He made his political debut shortly thereafter as a civic activist and entered the Japanese parliament in 1980 as a member of the lower house.

It was after exposing a massive scandal, however, that Kan truly burst onto the national scene in the 1990s, as health minister in the LDP government. HIV-tainted blood was entering the country's blood supply, and the government had been covering it up. Kan exposed the details to public acclaim.

However, Kan soon faced his own series of scandals. In 1998, he resigned his post after his affair with a television newscaster went public and he simultaneously admitted that he had failed to pay into the national pension fund. Just five years later, Kan was forced to resign from his leadership of the DPJ over another failure to pay. This time, Kan made formal penance: He shaved his head, put on a Buddhist monk's robes, and traveled to the traditional pilgrimage destination of Shikoku island and its 88 temples. It worked. Japan's comeback kid, he remained a senior figure inside the DPJ and served as deputy prime minister and finance minister in the Hatoyama cabinet.

Immediately after his appointment as Japan's new Prime Minister, Kan promised to "rebuild the country" as it confronts economic stagnation, mounting public debt and regional instability.

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