Narita
Station
Narita
Station
is a railway station on the Narita
Line in Narita, Chiba Prefecture,
a short distance from Narita International
Airport.
Narita
Tourist Pavilion (Narita kanko-kan)
Narita
Tourist Pavilion, or Narita kanko-kan
as it is locally known, is located
a short walking distance from Narita
Station. The Pavilion is actually
a tourist information center and
is said to be the largest such center
in Japan to use the latest media.
The
first floor of the building provides
information on Narita. All the information
– history, geography, places of
interest, etc. – is presented in
a unique way using new and latest
media. On the second floor are various
exhibits showing different aspects
of Japanese traditions and cultures.
Every Thursday tourists can also
experience the Japanese tea ceremony
here. This is a great experience
– tourists sit on the floor on a
red carpet, watch the ceremony,
then have tea and sweets while listening
to Koto music in the background.
After the ceremony, visitors try
on kimonos and other Japanese
clothing and have their photos taken.
The third floor of the Pavilion
takes you back to the Edo period.
As you reach the floor, you are
greeted with the sounds of Kabuki
wooden clappers. The displays here
include temples and shrines built
as they were during the Edo times,
floats which are paraded during
the Gion Festival, and many other
things from the rich cultural past
of Edo. The place where the floats
are exhibited has a large five sided
screen, on which audio-visual presentations
of the Festival are constantly played.
The
Narita Tourist Pavilion is open
every day except Mondays from 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. (October through
May) and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (June
through September). Admission is
free.
Right
in front of Narita Tourist Pavilion,
is the famous and very popular Naritasan
Shinshoji Temple.
Naritasan
Shinshoji Temple
Naritasan
Shinshoji Temple is a large and
popular temple complex located not
far from Narita Airport. The complex
consists of the main temple and
several other buildings, both old
and new, related to the temple itself.
The whole complex plus the area
around it, is together known as
Temple Town.
The
Temple was originally built by Priest
Kanjo in the year 940 around the
sacred statue of Buddhist deity
Fudo Myoo. The statue is said to
have been carved and consecrated
by Kobo Daishi (774-835), the founder
of the Shingon Sect. The story goes
that the statue was carved at the
request of Emperor Saga and was
originally enshrined at Takaosan
Jingoji Temple in Kyoto, the then
capital of Japan. In the year 939,
when Tairanomasakado led a revolt
against Emperor Suzaku, the Emperor
asked Priest Kanjo to perform a
rite to suppress the revolt. Following
the orders, the Priest took the
image to the area and performed
a 3-week Goma rite. On the final
day of the rite, on February 14,
940, the revolt was miraculously
suppressed. On completing his duty,
Priest Kanjo proceeded to return
to Kyoto with the image, but statue
wouldn't move. Then the Priest heard
an oracle – “My wish has not been
fulfilled. I wish to stay here forever
and relieve innumerable people from
suffering”. When the Emperor heard
about the oracle, he ordered a temple
to be built around the image – and
so Naritasan Shinshoji Temple was
built.
Naritasan
Shinshoji Temple, a Buddhist Shingon
Sect temple, is situated within
Monzen Machi area, or Temple Town
as it is often called. The approach
to the temple area is just as interesting
as the temple itself. This approach
is a street that runs from Narita
Station to the temple grounds. There
are shops on both sides of this
street, which is called Omotesando.
These shops, some of which are more
than 100 years old, sell almost
everything from traditional crafts
to Chinese medicines and local sweets.
There are also some noodle shops
and restaurants, some that cater
exclusively to tourists. Along the
narrow side streets are large three-storey
wooden houses, hotels, and warehouses,
reminiscent of the olden days.
At
the end of this road are Naritasan
Shinshoji Temple grounds. As you
enter the main gate, there is a
pathway that leads to a small market
square. The stores here sell local
knick-knacks and souvenirs. A little
ahead is a flight of stone steps.
As you climb the steps, on the left
is Korin-kaku Hall .
It is here that the Goma rite is
practiced. This is an important
rite that is performed several times
a day and anyone can attend. The
idea behind the rite is to pray
to Fudo Myoo, the Fire God. During
the ceremony, Guma sticks are burnt
in fire – the fire symbolizing the
wisdom of Fudo Myoo, and the sticks
the earthly desires. Burning the
sticks symbolizes attaining a higher
level of spiritual wisdom by getting
rid of earthly passions.
At
the top of the flight of steps is
Niomon Gate , a
large gate with a big lantern hanging
from it. The lantern, called O-chochin
, has an inscription that
says “Fish Market”. This is because
since the Edo times, it has been
a tradition that the lantern is
donated by the fish market. The
present lantern was donated in 1968.
Niomon Gate has been named National
Property Treasure by the government.
After passing through this gate,
there is another flight of steps.
At the top of these steps is the
large main hall ( Dai-hon-do
) of the Temple where stands
the original statue of the deity
Fudo-myoo. On either side are additional
smaller halls.
In
front of the main hall is Shakado
Hall , also a National
Treasure. Shakado Hall, built in
1858, used to be the main hall before
it was shiftd to Dai-hon-do. The
main attractions here are the image
of Shaka-nyorai (the founder of
Japanese Buddhism), and the 24 carved
reliefs known as “24-koh”, or 24
thoughts. To the left of the main
hall is a path that leads to Daito
Pagoda . Built in 1984,
this awe-inspiring 3-storied Pagoda
symbolizes the doctrines of the
Shingon-mikkyo sect. What makes
the pagoda very attractive are its
beautifully carved and brightly
painted rafters. To the right of
the pagoda is Issaikyo-do
Hall . Inside this hall
there is a small dark room that
has a spinning wheel. They say that
if you spin this wheel 3 times,
your wish will come true.
A
little further up is Komyodo
Hall , which is also a
National Treasure. Built in 1701,
Komyodo Hall was the main hall before
Shakado Hall. It is dedicated to
Dainichi Buddha. To the right of
Komyodo Hall is Kiyotaki-gongen
Shrine , behind which is
an inner shrine called Oku-no-in
. On the right side of
Kiyotaki-gongen is a flight of steps,
on the top of which is a beautiful
waterfall. Beyond this waterfall
is Naritasan Park.
Naritasan
Park
Naritasan
Park is a beautiful luscious park
situated behind the temple buildings.
Officially opened in 1928, the park,
covering an area of 165,000 m?,
is a beautiful blend of both Japanese
and Western styles. There are paths
meandering through the lush green
grass for visitors to stroll on.
There are lots of plum and cherry
trees rendering the place further
beauty, especially in spring when
the trees are full of blossoms.
In the middle of the park are three
lovely ponds.
Beside
one of these ponds is a museum -
the Naritasan Calligraphy
Museum . On display here
are about 250 calligraphy masterpieces,
some dating back to the Yedo Period
(1603-1867). There are also several
items detailing the history of Japanese
calligraphy. The Museum is open
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
At the
edge of the park on the temple side
is another museum – the Naritasan
Reiko-kan . This museum was
built in 1984 after the Tibetan Buddhist
leader, the Dalai Lama, offered a
Mass here. All the materials on display
in this museum are related to the
history of Naritasan Shinshoji Temple
and the area surrounding it. On display
are items ranging from precious manuscripts
and archeological finds to ethnographical
artifacts and natural history exhibits.