Quiet tea, talky tea

Butsuma--a space for the Buddha. Chanoma--a space where people drink tea, eat, chat.
Showing posts with label Tsukiji. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tsukiji. Show all posts

Thursday, June 9, 2011

A walk around Tsukiji pt II



Another landmark in the area is Tsukiji Hongwanji, which is a branch temple of the famous Jodo Shinshu (know also as Shin Buddhism) temple, Nishi Honganji in Kyoto.

http://www.tsukijihongwanji.jp/tsukiji/index_e.html

This building is also post WWII, and is neo-Indian, although the interior of the main hall is traditional Japanese style, although done in concrete and other non-flammable materials. Another distinctive feature of the temple is its pipe organ. Not a very ambitious one, but worth it for the novelty, I think. At an English-language service there one time, I had my first experience of congregational Buddhist hymn-singing accompanied by the organ. However, the other day, I was in for a shock--the altar area of the main hall has been walled off for reconstruction. The posted construction plan started March 1, so it seems to be unrelated to the earthquake. They set up a temporary sanctuary in another wing of the building, also very beautiful in a simpler way. As I sat there, drifting in and out of a meditative state, a priest led people in for consecration of Buddhist images they had purchased, with a bit of bell-ringing and sutra chanting and a short Dharma talk. One time, I sneaked some pictures in the main hall, showing the elaborate altar--felt a little bit guilty, although there is nothing posted there about photos, but I didn't ask anybody either. But I am glad I have them--I wonder if the new altar will be different.

A walk around Tsukiji pt I

I took a walk around the Tsukiji area the other day. It is famous for the fish market, where tourists can go to watch the tuna auctions, smoking, touching the fish, getting in the way of forklifts, etc. The area is also known for a couple of other things. One is St. Luke's Hospital, one of the earliest modern hospitals in Japan.

http://www.luke.or.jp/eng/index.html

It was started by a missionary who was from Rome, Georgia (USA, I am guessing here), but the website doesn't specify what kind of missionary, which branch of Christianity. One can only hope he was from the one true religion--you know, the Western Branch of American Reformed Presbo-Lutheranism! Haha! I stole that joke from the Simpsons--thanks, people! But seriously, I have been here more than 30 years, and never once went to the hospital--meaning, I never had a serious health problem, never needed English-language health services, etc. Which is a good thing, but I found a very nice neo-gothic chapel that is certainly worth a visit. It is in the oldest existing building, which looks like it dates from after WWII. Most neo-gothic architecture in Japan is wood, but this is stone, with stone vaults and everything. There is also a nice organ, from the late 1990s, I hope I can catch a concert there sometime. I didn't have my camera that day, so check the website for pix.