Photo by Robert George

A Zen Buddhist monk begging for alms outside a Ginza department store is an ironic reminder of the frantic pace at which many people live their lives. The Japanese culture is rich with many such paradoxical contrasts, from ancient temples juxtaposed with high-rise buildings, to kimono-clad women riding the bullet train.

Photo by Robert George

This decorative tassel adorns Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa District of Tokyo. Legend has it that, on the 18th of March in the year 628 A.D., two fishermen, Hamanari Hinokuma and his brother Takenari, cast their nets into the Sumida River and pulled out a golden statue of the Kannon Buddha.  Soon thereafter, the village chief Hajino Nakamoto turned his home into a temple to house the treasured icon. Also known as Asakusa Kannon, Sensoji is Tokyo’s oldest temple.

Photo by Robert George

Outside many temples in Japan, troughs of spring water and long-handled ladles are provided for visitors to purify themselves before entering. It is customary to use the ladles to rinse the hands and face, and in some places, such as Kyomizu Temple in Kyoto, to drink the water for health, wealth and wisdom.

Photo by Robert George

In contemporary Japan, urban architecture is an eclectic juxtaposition of old-world traditional, post-war Bauhaus, and ultra-modern futuristic styles. And sometimes—it’s a combination of all three!

Photo by Robert George

This red banner hangs in an antique store in Gunma Prefecture outside Tokyo. The large white kanji symbols in the center denote a location near a university, the identity of which is obscured from view. And the handwritten script on either side represents two male names: Ichiro and Osamu. Who knows who they were or what has become of them.

Photo by Robert George

Buddhist monks in traditional robes can be seen walking the streets of Japan’s metropolitan cities every day. Along with Shintoism, Zen Buddhism is one of two major religions that coexist in Japan. Each serves its own realm, with Shintoism relating to nature, ancestry and earthly matters, while Buddhism presides over spirituality and the afterlife.

Photo by Robert George

This rice-straw wrapper protects the bark of a tree in Hama Rikyu Koen, the Detached Palace Garden. Originally a hunting preserve for the Tokugawa Shogunate, Hama Rikyu is one of Tokyo’s most opulent gardens, located in the Ginza district on an island connected to the mainland by the Nanmon Bridge which arches over an ancient walled moat. The garden features exquisite topiary, moon-watching pavilions and a salt-water tide pool.

Photo by Robert George

Buddhist monks in training walk the streets of Japan collecting alms as a means of practicing humility. Clothed in traditional robes and bowl-shaped rice straw hats to shield them from the temptations of the flesh, they provide an element of stark contrast to the materialistic world of contemporary urban life.

The Fox and the Foreigner

The Echo of Ancient Drumbeats

Have Camera, Will Travel

Of Destinations and Dog Biscuits

Prometheus Unbound

The Cycle of Life

and more…

Photo by Robert George

Buddhism is one of Japan’s two main religions, and images of Buddha can be seen in temples throughout the country. Each one is unique, and most are posed with contemplative hand mudras to enhance meditation.