During my day off I took a short trip to Yomiuri Land, an amusement park in Inagi, Tokyo. What I was not expecting to find there was a supposed Sacred Buddhist Forest. On the same grounds as Yomiuri Land sits another park called Hana Biyori which is dedicated to the cultivation and presentation of flower gardens. It was within these gardens that I discovered the Sacred Forest.

What shocked me initially was a large white stupa-shaped pagoda atop a small hill. It was named 釈迦如来殿 (Shaka Nyorai-Den) and was said to house the bones (Buddha’s ashes) and sacred hair of the founder of Buddhism (known in Japan as 釈迦如来 or Shakyamuni/Shaka Nyorai). According to the sign posted nearby the site is of global significance.

In addition to the Shaka Nyorai-Den, there was another red pagoda said to have been built during the early Edo period (17th century) and later transported to Tokyo in 1964. Unlike the stupa-shaped pagoda from before, this one was a traditional Japanese-style pagoda. Nearby sat eight statues, each depicting a patriarch of their sect of Buddhism. There was Saicho of the Tendai sect, Kukai of the Shingon sect, Honen of the Jodo sect, Shinran of the Jodo Shin sect, Eisai of the Rinzai sect, Dogen of the Soto sect, Nichiren of the Nichiren sect, and Ryonin of the Yutsu Nembutsu sect.

It felt quite unusual to find such beautiful pagodas directly beneath a gondola carrying people into an amusement park. The contrast was unlike any other pagodas and temples I’ve visited. They usually feel like they’re separated from the secular world surrounding them, whereas this felt like the two worlds were coming together. Perhaps it is truly befitting that trees and flowers surround Buddha and his followers, wilting and blooming while awaiting his return.

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: Sophia University