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Japan temple sells ramen to fund maintenance of wooden planks for printing Buddhist scriptures

Temple abbot says selling vegetarian ramen boosted revenue, generated buzz, attracted more visitors

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To support the upkeep of 60,000 wooden planks used for printing Buddhist scriptures, a Japanese temple sells ramen. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock/YouTube
Yating Yangin Beijing

A 350-year-old Buddhist temple in Japan may have the best ramen in town.

Hozoin Temple, in Kyoto prefecture in southeast Japan, boasts a rich history that dates back to 1669, and the temple’s abbot shared with Yomiuri TV that volunteers had begun to sell vegetarian ramen to fund the management and maintenance of their collection of 60,0000 wooden planks.

The thin wooden strips are used for writing classic texts, and 48,000 of the tablets have been designated as “important cultural properties” by the Japanese government.

However, the tablets are piled in a storage room that is over 60 years old and has no cooling or heating system.

The manual labour required to maintain the wood in these conditions was expensive, and the temple needed a creative strategy to make some money. The income from traditional offerings falls far short of covering the temple’s financial needs.

The wooden tablets have been designated as “important cultural properties” by the Japanese government. Photo: Weixin
The wooden tablets have been designated as “important cultural properties” by the Japanese government. Photo: Weixin

“The owner of cultural properties must bear the responsibility of management. We must carefully manage and maintain these classics so they can be passed on to future generations,” said the abbot.

Yating is a Beijing-based culture reporter at the Post. Previously, she worked for CCTV-6, covering international film and culture. Her journalistic expertise includes pop culture, entertainment industry, gender equality, education, workplace discrimination, and social welfare.
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