User:狄の用務員/Wat Paknam Japan

Wat Paknam Japan (Thai: วัดปากน้ำญี่ปุ่น) is the largest Thai Buddhist temple in Japan, located in Narita City, Chiba Prefecture. It was founded in 1998 as a branch temple of Wat Paknam, a famous temple in Thailand, to serve as a spiritual center for residents of Thai descent.

Wat Paknam Japan has a Vihara and a ubosot built in authentic Thai style by carpenters invited from Thailand, which can be freely visited and worshipped by Thai and non-Thai visitors alike. Several times a year, thousands of Thai residents in Japan gather at the temple for festivals, where Buddhist sermons and other events are held.

summary
Wat Paknam is a royal Buddhist temple built in 1610 AD in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, during the late Ayutthaya Dynasty. It is known for its unique meditation techniques and beautiful emerald-colored chedis. In modern times, Wat Paknam has become oriented toward international missionary work, with locations in several U.S. cities, New Zealand, India, and Japan.

Founded in 1998, the Japan branch approximately 2,000 tsubo (8,000 m2) site is the largest Thai temple in japan and is considered the center of Theravada Buddhist beliefs for Thai residents in the metropolitan area and Japan.The branch has all the facilities of a typical Thai temple, including an auditorium, a large dining hall, a ubosot hall, a vihara hall, a bell tower, a garden, a monks' lodging building, and a general lodging building ,and is staffed by five Thai Bhikkhu (male monks).

Wat Paknam Japan is not only a religious facility, but also a place of exchange for Thai people living in Japan, and in cooperation with the Royal Thai Embassy in Japan, it also offers mobile consular services, training in Thai massage, and lessons in Thai cooking and Thai-style fruit carving.

history
Luang Pu Sodh (1884-1959), who was the abbot of Wat Paknam main temple in the early 20th century and is considered the middle founder of Wat Paknam, had a strong desire to spread Buddhism to all countries. Wat Paknam has ordained people of non-Thai nationalities, including both Bhikkhus and MaeChi.

After the ordination of a Japanese to the Bhikkhu at Wat Paknam in 1957, Luang Pu Sodh had the idea of establishing a temple in Japan, but Luang Pu Sodh died in 1959, so this idea remained a concept.

After Luang Pu Sodh's death in 1959, Wat Paknam's group spent more than 30 years and visited Japan 10 times to continue their missionary work.

In 1998, at the initiative of a Japanese resident of Thai descent, the first site for Wat Paknam was purchased with the intention of becoming a center for Thai residents..The purchase of the land was financed by the sales of the Thai resident's import and catering business and the temple in Thailand..The first site was attached to the airline company's buildings, which were converted into monks' cells and an auditorium for the temple. Five monks joined the temple later that year.

From 2003 to 2008, important Theravada Buddhist buildings were constructed by Thai carpenters and formalized into a temple.2003 saw the dedication of the Ubosot which was attended by the Royal Thai Ambassador, 105 Thai Bhikkhus, and over 3,000 Thais from Thailand and Japan ..The viharn was completed in 2008.

From 2012 to 2020, new construction was carried out with donations and labor services from Thai residents, focusing on smaller facilities such as the kitchen, small shrine, bell tower, handbasin(Chōzuya), and rest area.

Facilities
Wat Paknam Japan was built on the former site of "Japan Airport Service Corporation," which provides ground handling services at Narita International Airport. The company's dormitory, training building, and other buildings have been renovated and used as they are, and the temple grounds have the atmosphere of a school campus. The Thai-style buildings, such as the Ubosot and Wiharn, were built later. Wat Paknam Japan consists of five types of exterior buildings: Thai-style, modern-style, Japanese-style, Thai-Japanese mixed-style, and temporary, with the Thai-style exterior being the predominant view today.

Grand Sala (Auditorium)
The two-story auditorium is a conversion of an existing RC facility. The hall on the first floor of the building has an altar in which three statues are enshrined side by side. In the center of the platform is a statue of Buddha, and on either side are statues of Luang Pho Sod and the current abbot of Wat Paknam.

In the hall, bikkus and MaeChi recite sutras to the three statues at 6:00 a.m. daily, followed by meditation. Near the time of the festival, Thai resident outsiders come in the afternoon to make decorations and other preparations..

The second floor of the Grand Sala is not usually used, but when the festival is held, a temporary embassy sub-branch is set up to handle passport applications..

Sala (dining room)
The Sala is a one-story dining hall, converted from an existing RC structure. It is a place where visitors bring food and visit the dhuni, and where almsgiving and begging take place. Inside the hall, as in the main hall, there is a small platform in which three statues of Buddha and Bhikkhu are enshrined..

Monks' quarters and accommodations
There is a two-story RC building with 10 rooms for Bhikkhu accommodation (10 rooms), a five-story RC building for general accommodation (50 rooms), and a wooden abbot quarters. .

Ubosot
Ubosot is a one-story building. It was newly built in 2003 by a carpenter invited from Thailand. .The Uposatha is a practice in which the brotherhood gathers twice a month to review their actions in light of the precepts and to repent for actions that are not in accordance with the precepts. Ubosot is also a place for secular people to receive the precepts and become a bhiku.

Ubhosot is the most important building in a Buddhist temple in Thailand, and important ceremonies are always held at Ubhosot. Ubosot is the most conspicuous building in the Japan brunch with its blue roof, marble walls, and gold-colored decorations.All the marble was brought from Thailand. .the upper part of the door of the ubosot is decorated with the royal abbreviation, title, and the coat of arms commemorating the King's birthday, with the permission of the royal family.

The upper walls of the ubosot are decorated with scenes from Jataka and other Buddhist stories and a golden Buddha image is enshrined in the back of the hall.In the hall, Bhikkhus, Maechi and outsiders sit in front of the Buddha image at 5:00 p.m. for sutra reading and meditation. Mae chi performs sutra reading and meditation three times, at 5:00 PM, 2:00 PM, and 7:00 PM. At Ubosot, the precepts of sutra recitation and meditation are the exclusive practice..

viharn


A one-story glass-walled building in which a Buddha image is enshrined. It was newly built in 2008 by a carpenter invited from Thailand.The statue of Luang Pho Sod is in front of the entrance, and the statue of Buddha is in the back.

The flow of worship is as follows..


 * 1) After lighting incense and worshipping the Buddha image between the hands, put incense on the incense stand.
 * 2) Shake the oracle, take out the stick, and take the written oracle from the shelf with the same number as the number written on the stick. If the contents are favorable, the fortune is taken home; if not, it is tied to a wooden stand placed outside the wiharn.
 * 3) Place a gold leaf on the image of the Bhikkhu. Paste it on the same part of the body as the bad part of your own body and wish for healing.

These are secular activities aimed at fulfilling wishes in this life, and although they are not acts related to merit, they are related to Buddhism in a broad sense. The idea of tying a tag to a stand was inspired by a shrine omikuji. A saisen box is placed in front of the entrance to the Wiharn, which was also inspired by a shrine..

Differences from Thai Temples
Thai temples have crematoriums and tombs as other basic facilities, but Wat Paknam Japanese brunch does not have any. Sato, Abe, and Yamada of Tsukuba University attributed this to the fact that it is difficult to establish a tomb in Japan due to legal restrictions, and that many Thai residents are expected to return to Thailand when they grow old. Sato et al. also speculated that the absence of sutra repositories that house sutras and books on Buddhism indicates that teaching is not the main activity.

On the other hand, one of the facilities unique to this temple, which is not common in Thai temples, is a pond, which was built for the event of loi krathong (floating lanterns). Other features include a hand-watering basin (Chōzuya)inspired by Japanese shrines..

Rituals
Festivals are held on major Thai holidays and Buddhist events such as Songkran (Thai Lunar New Year), Loi Krathong (Lantern Festival), Wissakabcha (Buddha's Birthday), and the birthday of the King of Thailand. .According to the bhikku of the Japan branch, the "Kathina Robe Offering Ceremony," held annually around October or November, is the most crowded festival day throughout the year, when Buddhist robes are offered to the Bodhisattva.

On the day of the festival, dozens of Thai food stalls are set up on the temple grounds and offer free food to visitors. According to the branch Bhikkhu, in Thai Buddhism, it is a great merit to donate money and goods to the temple, to support Bhikkhus life of training, and to help others in need. ..

On festival days, there is a lecture hall where sermons are given and a temporary consulate is set up to provide passport renewal and other services for Thai residents in Japan. . The festival attracts several thousand people at times, and about 80% of the visitors are Thai residents in Japan. On days when people gather, there are stalls in the parking lot, selling foodstuffs and sundries for Thai people. .The festival schedule was listed on the official website, but has not been updated since 2016. .

Worship and Visits
Wat Paknam Japan always welcomes worshippers and visitors, saying, "We welcome people from Japan and any country in the world". There are no admission fees or procedures.

As for the manner of visiting the temple, revealing clothes such as mini-skirts, sleeveless dresses, and shorts are undesirable, and women are forbidden to touch the Bhikkhu. When joining hands, one should not stand, but sit on the floor and join hands. .

Address

 * 294-1 Nakano, Narita-shi, Chiba

Access

 * By car: The Shimofusa Interchange on the Metropolitan Inter-City Expressway (Ken-O Expressway) is the nearest interchange. Free parking is available on the premises.


 * Train: The nearest stations are Narita Station on the JR East Narita Line or Keisei Narita Station on the Keisei Electric Railway Line. It takes about 30 minutes by cab from Narita Station to Wat Paknam Japan.


 * Bus: Take the Chiba Kotsu bus bound for Sawara Kounamaguchi garage from Chiba Kotsu bus stop #2 in front of Narita Station on the Keisei Electric Railway Line; get off at "Yoshioka Shinden" in front of the 7-Eleven on Route 51. Walk about 4 km from the bus stop.

Others

 * The Japan brunch is sometimes introduced in travel guidebooks because of its foreign flavor.  .In recent years, it has become popular among Japanese tourists as a good place for social networking . the "Narita's Attractiveness Karuta" distributed by Narita City to introduce the attractions of Narita, Wat Paknam is also the subject of one of the poems.
 * In January 2022, the Japan branch posted a photo of the snow-covered ubosot and precincts on FACEBOOK .The climate in Thailand belongs to the tropics, and there are virtually no records of snowfall in the past. The photo of the Thai-style Buddhist architecture covered in snow became a topic of conversation and was reported on major Thai news sites, as well as on a news program on the Thai government-run Thai Public Broadcasting Service.
 * Sato et al. state that friendly relations have been established between the temple and neighboring residents, as all the land, with the exception of the first lot, was transferred or leased sequentially from neighboring residents.
 * In Thai Buddhism, there are requirements regarding the group and place where the precepts are to be given in order to receive the precepts. The Japan branch has five resident bhikku and a purified area (ubosot) with a boundary, which is considered to meet the requirements for receiving the precepts. The Japanese brunch produced ordained priests around 2003, when the Ubosot was built.