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Matcha and meditation at a national treasure
Machizukuri Obama, Inc.
Obama is an important port city which helped introduce Buddhism to former capital cities like Nara and Kyoto, and is home to many ancient temples such as Myotsuji Temple. The main hall and three-storied pagoda of Myotsuji Temple were built between the 12th to 14th centuries and are designated as National Treasures. In the main hall, you can see Buddhist statues such as Yakushi Nyorai, surrounded by two statues called Jinja Taisho and Gozanze Myoo. All three statues were crafted between the 11th to 12th centuries. Here you can enjoy a bowl of matcha with handmade confectionary. Then, under the guidance of a priest, you can experience Ajikan, a special meditation method developed in the 9th century that consists of meditating while facing a sign board of the Sanskrit character A.
How to get there
It takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes from Shin-Osaka Station to Tsuruga Station by train. Then, take another train from Tsuruga Station to Higashi-Obama Station, which takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
5-21 Monzen, Obama-shi, Fukui-ken
