Category / Japan

by Nate DeMontigny

Japanese monk sings rap to bring Buddhism to youth

From Tajikistan News – A Japanese Buddhist monk is getting down with rap music. Kansho Tagai, aka Happiness Kansho or Mr Happiness, learned to rap at the age of 47, and is doing a pretty good job of opening the religious doors to young fans.

‘I came to this world to help you out of suffering. My name is Shaka Munibutsu (Gautama Siddhartha). Say baby, listen to me. Everyone’s my cute baby. I’m here to help you out of suffering and pain,’ Mr Happiness, the shaven-headed chief monk of Tokyo’s Kyooji temple, raps blending Japanese and English phrases.

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by Nate DeMontigny

Japanese police arrive to investigate journalist’s death

From Mizzima News – Eyewitnesses report seeing a team of Japanese police in Rangoon, believed to be looking into the death of a Japanese journalist.

The team is thought to be investigating the death of Japanese photo-journalist Kenji Nagai, who was killed by security forces during the brutal crackdown on protestors in September of last year.

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by Nate DeMontigny

Beer and Buddhism

From Mail & Guardian – Dressed in dark cotton robes, a bracelet of prayer beads hanging from his wrist, Gugan Taguchi certainly looks the part. But, as he kneels to chant a sutra before an altar in the corner of the room, the people around him continue to chat and his rhythmic prayers can only just be heard above a Blue Note jazz track.

Minutes later Taguchi is back in his seat, glass in hand. A bottle of rum sits on the bar in front of him, next to a half-filled ashtray, as his tobacco smoke mingles with the aroma of incense.
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by Nate DeMontigny

Dalia Lama in Japan, Government says no to meeting with him

TOKYO (Reuters) — A human rights activist lamented on Thursday that no one from the Japanese government would meet the Dalai Lama during his nine-day visit to the country centred on Buddhist events.

The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader arrived in Japan on Thursday but had no plans to meet government officials, in what Japanese media said was a sign Japan wanted to keep improving ties with China on track.

China reviles the Dalai Lama as a political exile and traitor since he fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
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