Introduction to Shimanobo temple
This is a shukubo in Minobu, the head temple of the Nichiren sect. It has a history of over 700 years and is one of the oldest shukubo in Minobu. The temple enshrines Saizyo Inari, which is said to bring good fortune in business prosperity.
Shukubo (temple stay)
Since I was staying with a group, the guest room was a large 20 tatami room. There are also private rooms available, so even small groups can stay. Towels, toothbrushes, yukata, gowns, and socks were provided.
There is a beautiful garden with a vermilion bridge over a pond, which is very relaxing and calming.
Experiencing Buddhist Practices After checking in, the first thing we did was try chanting sutras. Enter the main hall, worship, and chant sutras. The pace started out slow, then got faster, then slowed down again at the end.
Dinner
For dinner, I had soy milk hotpot, tempura, konjac, simmered dishes, and more. There was also yuba (soy sheet), a Minobu specialty. The food is healthy and mainly vegetable based. It was very delicious.
After dinner, I took a bath. It feels like a slightly larger home bath and can fit about five people. It was a great feeling to get rid of the fatigue from the journey.
Morning service
The next day, I walked to Kuonji Temple early in the morning and attended the morning service.
I got up early and went to the main hall, where I heard huge drums being beaten so loudly that the entire building shook. About 50 monks entered the hall and chanted sutras on an incredible scale and with great force.
After the service in the main hall was over, we moved to the Soshido Hall, where drums were beaten and sutras were chanted.
When we left the hall, the sun had risen and it was already bright, so we returned to the shukubo and had breakfast.
