Mysterious Night in Kyoto ~Thousands of candle and the soul~
Kyoto has so many festivals and rituals all around the year, and I've been exploring them if I have time, but it's always fun to share the experience with guests!
We visited Sento Kuyo at Adashino-nenbutsuji temple which is located in the north part of Arashiyama area.
It’s said that dead bodies used to be left there to rot, the great Buddhist saint Kukai turned it into a temple and properly honored the dead. Other legends have it that another great saint, Honen, played a role. Now, there are thousands of Buddhist images there an on the evenings of 23 and 24 August, candles are lit to pray for the souls of the departed. It’s an otherworldly sight.
We saw many paper lanterns that people's drawings are on, leading us to the temple.
And the temple was already filled with candles when we got there, I felt even weird to be in such a quiet part of Kyoto.
We felt something very special at the site, it wasn't spooky or scary, more like warm and calm. The guests asked me so many questions about this place, our religion, what it's like in my hometown or Japan in general. I was so happy to see they were curious, try to get to know different things, share this special event and enjoy it in their own ways.
Back in the town, we explored Izakaya and it was so much fun! Another great night was had!
We visited Sento Kuyo at Adashino-nenbutsuji temple which is located in the north part of Arashiyama area.
It’s said that dead bodies used to be left there to rot, the great Buddhist saint Kukai turned it into a temple and properly honored the dead. Other legends have it that another great saint, Honen, played a role. Now, there are thousands of Buddhist images there an on the evenings of 23 and 24 August, candles are lit to pray for the souls of the departed. It’s an otherworldly sight.
We saw many paper lanterns that people's drawings are on, leading us to the temple.
And the temple was already filled with candles when we got there, I felt even weird to be in such a quiet part of Kyoto.
We felt something very special at the site, it wasn't spooky or scary, more like warm and calm. The guests asked me so many questions about this place, our religion, what it's like in my hometown or Japan in general. I was so happy to see they were curious, try to get to know different things, share this special event and enjoy it in their own ways.
Back in the town, we explored Izakaya and it was so much fun! Another great night was had!
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