April 16, 2006
Narita City is a small city that can give you the feel and sights of Japan without a lot of effort.
Narita is one of the centers of the Buddhist Shingon sect in Japan.
Here, you can glimpse into Japan’s Buddhist culture and sense of aesthetics, with majestic shrines and temples laid out on the well-manicured grounds.
Buddhism arrived in Japan in the 6th century from China, a thousand years after its founding in India.
Narita's economy was historically focused on agriculture.
The opening of Narita International Airport refocused the local economy on transportation, logistics, and tourism.
Narita-san Shinshō-ji ("New victory temple") is a Shingon Buddhist temple that includes a large complex of buildings and grounds and is one of the best-known temples in the Kantō region.
Sanju-no-to (the three-storied pagoda) has cloud and water patterned engravings at the back of the eaves of each story.
Japanese cemeteries are so unique and fascinating that they deserve a visit.
Death is something impure in Shintoism.
As a result, most funerals in Japan follow Buddhist rituals, and the deceased is cremated and buried in a family grave.
Unlike Europe or America’s burial customs, the tombstone (hakaishi) is the entire family’s marker.