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Poster announcing the Sri Nrisimha Caturdasi festival taking place May 3, 2015
"Nrisimha-chaturdasi is the divine appearance day of Nrisimhadeva, Lord Krishna’s man-lion incarnation, who removes all obstacles on the path of devotional service out of His great compassion." - from http://www.mayapur.com/festivals/nrisimha-chaturdasi/
Campbell’s on the other side of the world
Campbell's soup cans showing Szechuan Hot & Sour; Borsch; and Mushroom, Scallops & Seafood
Ad reads: "Hallelujah! Charismatic cooking"
Poster celebrating the ‘Year of the Goat’
Poster reads: "Uncage 2015: Wishing You a Courageous New Year"
Sign reads: "Keep your dog leashed - Pick up your dog's poo - Be considerate"
An old sign for a major Singapore street in Little India
Thaipusam is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February).
Tourists in bicycle jitneys, Penang, Malaysia
Stone honoring Dutch East Indies Company, Melaka, Malaysia
Sign reads: "Vereenigde Oost Indie Companie. (United East India Co) The Servant and Pioneer of Holland in the East. Founded-1602 Dissolved-1795"
16th-century Portuguese walls, Melaka, Malaysia
These adjacent Jizō show how Japan melds its traditions with external influences.
Statues of Kōbō-Daishi and other major Buddhist figures
A figure of Kōbō-Daishi, the founder of the Shingon (“True Word”) school of Buddhism, stands at the center. He lived 774–835CE.
Professors Claude Welch and Jeannette Ludwig pour water on funerary plaques to honor the dead at a noted Buddhist cemetery
Worship at this monastery, the major one of the Shingon sect of Zen Buddhism, is focused in this hall
Given the size of the Mount Koya monastery, many racks must be provided for shoes outside the worship area
Before entering the hondo (worship area), Buddhist monks remove their sandals.
Buddhism has attracted followers from all around the world. These monks have joined the major Shingon monastery
Professor Jeannette Ludwig joins Swiss convert to Shingon Buddhism in an early morning chant
Professors Jeannette Ludwig and Claude Welch at Shingon monastery, by protective figure
Snow covers the ground outside the monastery's main hall, where prayers are conducted
Monks and visitors leave food offerings to feed the "hungry ghosts" and their slippers outside the worship area.
Although in a Japanese monastery, this sink is prepared for major guests
Special slippers are worn in Japanese bathrooms, for hygienic reasons. This is a squat toilet.
Following the end of a service, Shingon monks process while returning to contemplation
Given its island nature and limited space for raising livestock, Japanese get most of their protein from fish or soy-based foods. This woman is selling oysters
Destroyed Chamber of Commerce, Hiroshima
The shell of the former Chamber of Commerce stands at the heart of Hiroshima’s Peace Park
This toddler understands nothing about the nuclear bomb dropped on Hiroshima August 6, 1945. This concrete remnant of the Chamber of Commerce was the only structure left partially standing in a wide area
Folded paper cranes, flowers and the statue symbolize the need for peace – a central theme in Hiroshima’s Peace Park
Hiroshima’s Peace Park honors those who died in the 1945 nuclear bombing. Students on an excursion relax after taking notes
Originally constructed in the 1590’s and rebuilt in 1965, the Hiroshima Castle now serves as a historical museum
Hiroshima was nearly totally rebuilt after its 1945 destruction. Electricity and TV cables mark city street.
Professor Jeannette Ludwig ascends Mount Koya via funicular on a chilly March afternoon
Funicular trains pass each other on the ascent of Mount Koya. The Shingon Buddhist monastery at its top was founded in 1819
Snow blankets the ground inside the Koyasan Monastery, atop a mountain in south central Japan. This is headquarters of the Kōyasan Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.
Numerous tame deer live near the Miyajima shrine, where they can easily get food from tourists.
Professor Jeannette Ludwig stands near Miyajima shrine, an area with numerous tame deer
View of the Miyajima shrine pagoda from the ocean side
Major parts of the Miyajima shrine are built out from shore. See the famous torii at center.
This lovely arched bridge stands inside the Miyajima shrine
People of all faiths come to this temple to contemplate.
Miyajima’s five-tiered pagoda dominates the grounds of this noted Shinto shrine
Popular with tourists of all countries, the torii stands in the Itsukushima shrine. The shrine was established by the Empress Suiko, who ruled 503-628CE. Professors Claude Welch and Jeannette Ludwig stand here.
Miyajima island, near Hiroshima, is noted for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Professor Jeannette Ludwig feeds deer there.
Railroad station, Kyoto, Japan with "bullet train"
The "Shinkansen" rail system, literally "new trunk line," provides high-speed travel between major Japanese cities.
Entrances to Buddhist temples are traditionally guarded by protective spirits, embodied in statues
Japanese school children prepare to see historically significant Tōdai-ji Buddha
The Todai-ji Buddha is housed inside this building
The Tōdai-ji Buddha is the world’s largest bronze Buddha, standing 52’ high. It was cast in eight units, and dedicated in 752CE.
Professor Jeannette Ludwig and deer near Nara Todai-ji Buddha
This pachinko arcade attracts Japanese of all walks of life. The metal balls produce loud noise. Avid players can win prizes.
To assist potential patrons, Japanese restaurants display plastic models of their specialties.
Japanese vending machines dispense both hot and cold drinks.
Dental cleanliness is stressed in Japan – but models for ads need not have received orthodontic treatment.
Japanese take great aesthetic pleasure in cherry blossoms. These trees are blooming outside the Imperial Palace in Kyoto, Japan, where the ruling Shoguns resided.
Kimonos were widely worn especially by Japanese women until the late 19th century. They are now used largely on ceremonial occasions. The sign reads, ‘Final liquidation. 2001 collection of long-sleeved kimono.’ Note that in Japanese, ‘kimono’ is both singular and plural.
Deer range freely in this Nara cemetery. They are protected by law.
To celebrate for and with children, special Japanese festivals are traditionally held in March
Note the fruits and vegetables: Shintoism stresses closeness to nature
These men and women must trek up many steps to reach the monastery
Rays of the setting sun illuminate these jizō figures atop tombs
Professor Jeanette Ludwig talks with Shingon monk inside cemetery
In this Japanese cemetery, jizō stand atop roots, rocks and other surfaces
Two businessmen pray at the Shimogamo Shinto shrine
Writing Japanese characters in the traditional fashion requires elaborate preparations
Made from fermented rice, sake is Japan's national drink
Donors to charity have their names displayed on this board. Professor Jeannette Ludwig stands in front.
In an annual March 3 festival called Hina-matsuri, Japanese celebrate girls. Dolls are dressed in the traditional court dress of the Heian period.
This UNESCO World Heritage Site dates from the 6th century. The deities worshipped here protect the inhabitants.
The desired atmosphere of peaceful contemplation is enhanced by pools of this sort
Issidan garden in the Ryōan-ji Temple complex
Issidan garden. Part of the Ryōan-ji Temple complex, this rock garden dates from the Muromachi period (1336-1573) .
at the Ryōgen-in sub-temple of the Daitoku-ji Buddhist complex in Kita-ku, Kyoto, Japan. Built in 1958, this famed small Zen rock garden represents a Koan, 'harder a stone is thrown in, the bigger the ripple'
Japanese gardens are marked by simple structures, even in settings as formal as the one-time Imperial Palace in Kyoto
These prayer figures have been placed to attract attention, in an area passed by many.
These small statues are intended to safeguard women and children especially while traveling
Located in the noted Daisen-in, this garden was constructed between 1509 and 1513. Its raked stones suggest rivers, mountains, an ocean and other features
Another view of this famous garden. The stones are carefully placed so that it's impossible to see all from any single position.
This "tokonoma" or "alcove" includes a scroll depicting th3 Bodhidharma, who brought Zen from India to China. Zen practitioners follow the A-Un chant, or "truth of the universe" chant, while praying. It inolves inhale and exhale, heaven and earth, male and female.
The Daisen-in temple is one of the five most important Zen temples of Kyoto. Its title literally means "Academy of the Great Mortals." It is the world’s smallest Zen dry garden.
Known in Japanese as karesansui, the carefully-raked stones represent ripples in water
Zen rock gardens are designed as places of meditation.
The Ryoanji rock garden has been recognized as one of the world's finest Zen rock gardens. They are designed to assist meditation.
This shrine stands in Kyoto's Gion area, along Tea Pot Lane
Used for a few centuries by a prominent Japanese imperial family, this 'villa' has been said both to reflect long-standing Buddhist ideas and to have influenced 20th-century architects
Ceremonial rooms are linked to each other in the Nijo castle
Note the elaborate painted wall mats ['shoji'], signs of luxury
This room has great historic significance, since the last Tokugawa shogun renounced political power here in 1868
Since spring has yet to arrive, gardeners at this former imperial palace [Nijo Castle, Kyoto] protect plants carefully from winter cold