Narita-san: Blessed Temple in the City of the Airport

Narita is probably most famed as the location of Tokyo's New International Airport. But apart from that, Narita is a fair-sized city in Chiba Prefecture with one sight in particular which is worth some mention. Narita Shinshoji Temple, or Narita-san, is a large temple complex affiliated with the Shingon sect of Buddhism. The temple is an incredibly important center for the Shingon sect, and attracts as many as 10 million visitors a year. It was considerably less crowded the day I visited.

The temple is neatly tucked away in a quiet part of the city. After entering an impressive front gate, you climb a steep flight of stairs, past pools housing sacred turtles (revered for their age) and magnificent old ginkgo trees. You clear the top of the steps and stand face to face the with impressive main hall of the temple. The temple has a history going back almost 1000 years, but the main hall was reconstructed in 1968. It is immense. The ferro-concrete structure with its breathtaking gold-leafed inner sanctuary is an impressive building. People stood around the small structure in front of the temple to wash themselves with incense, clearing them of impurities. The stars of the show the afternoon I visited were the children. Although the Shichi-Go-San festival is usually in November, during the Autumn, temples and shrines are frequented by little girls aged 3 and 7 and little boys aged 5. They are bedecked in magnificent kimono and accompany their parents to the temple or shrine to offer prayers for good health, fortune, and happiness. A whole slew of the little tikes were there that afternoon, and every one was being photographed by eager parents, grandparents, or the eager tourist -- I'm afraid I was guilty as well. Everyone was oogling over the poor kids, and many of then were, naturally, frightened. But some of them were true showpersons (as you can see in one of the photos below).

While the main hall of Narita-san is impressive, I found that the temple's older structures were the ones that impressed me. Most of them dated from the Edo period (after 1600), or were early 20th century reconstructions. Their aged wood, and their wonderful tiled roofs showed that they had stood the tests of time... and survived. All of these buildings are on the hill behind the main hall. Atop this hill is the temple's largest pagoda, which commands much of the surrounding area. I had seen it from the highway the two of the previous times I had landed at Narita Airport and was traveling into Tokyo by bus.

The kimono clad children weren't the only signs of Autumn in the temple precincts. There were large displays of special chrysanthemums, each with blooms easily as big as human hands. All shades of white, yellow, and purple were represented. Heights varied, as did the size and shape of each flower's petals. There were lacy spider mums and the thick and meaty flowers that could get as large as human heads. These special display chrysanthemums are a staple of fall in Japan: from temples and festivals to homes and shops.

In between the main hall and the other temple structures is a very nice garden. It is quite extensive, and it seems easily to loose yourself there for an afternoon. Lanterns are tucked away in corners, and a picturesque pagoda floats out over the water at one end of a large pond.

In all, Narita-san is a very nice place to wander and relax, to reflect on Japanese history and religion, and to witness signs of the seasons. It is a wonderful place to catch glimpses of Japan, and it is all in the shadow of the bustling international airport of one of the world's largest metropolitan areas.

Here are some photos I took during my visit to Narita-san with my friend Laurie on October 30, 1999:

Links:

International Tourist City - Narita -- general Narita tourist info.
Hometown Homepage - Narita -- more general informtion, but includes a nice page on festivals in Narita.

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