The pilgrimage trails in Japan are the only World Heritage “routes ... Noriya Shibata, 59, made his debut as a mountain ascetic 10 or so years ago. He runs a cooking utensil business in ...

offers vegetable-based “shojin ryori” ascetic cuisine. It stands to the left of the entrance to the shrine premises. Used as a Kezo-in temple until the Edo Period (1603-1867), it is now a ...

The Ryusen-ji Temple in Tenkawa Village is known for its mountain ascetic practices. The pond, where ascetics purify themselves, is silent and still amidst the snow. Amid the monotone scenery ...

The ritual is one of Japan's three major Bon dances ... and there is a theory that it is a fusion of two dances, one started by ascetic monks to pray for a good harvest, and the other to make ...