Shaku Soyen: the pioneer who first introduced Zen to the West

December/23/2018

Zen is a form of Buddhism that developed in China in the eighth century. It was imported to Japan in the 13th century and soon became an important part of Japanese Culture. The essential principles of Zen are “transcendental wisdom” and “compassion.”

These days a lot of Western people practice Zen. For example, Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple Computer, was known for this. He even thought about going to Eihei Temple in Fukui Prefecture to become a Zen monk. It’s said that Apple products have been influenced by Zen (in their simplicity, for example). read more

2018 Autumn Leaves Festival at Nishiyama Park in Fukui Prefecture

(source: 福井県公式観光サイト)

November/24/2018

Today I went to Nishiyama Park, which is in Sabae City, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The Autumn Leaves Festival was being held there. There are about 1,600 Japanese maple trees in the park. Usually, you can enjoy seeing autumn leaves the best at Nishiyama Park from mid-November to late November.  read more