Asia | Religion in Japan

Temples of doom

Japan’s Buddhist temples are going out of business

Where are the pilgrims and punters?
|TOKYO

FAR from preaching abstinence from earthly pleasures, the Buddhist priests behind the counter of Vowz, a Tokyo bar, encourage the opposite. There are different paths to Buddha, says Yoshinobu Fujioka, the head priest, as he pours a gin and tonic for a customer. “Spiritual awakening can come in any conversation. We provide that opportunity.”

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Temples of doom”

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