About this episode

The episode features a visit to Shinnyo-do temple in Kyoto with sculptor Kacchan, highlighting a unique meditation experience with nature.

On a drizzly October morning at Shinnyo-do temple in North-East Kyoto, I meet Kacchan—a respected Buddha sculptor who has worked with some of the city's most important temples. But today, she's brought me to her local temple, a place she's known since childhood. We arrive on the one day each year when the Amitabha Sutra Association performs the secret Inzei Amida Sutra. As the monks' voices rise and fall in meditation, something remarkable happens: the crows and birds in the temple grounds begin calling out in response, weaving their own prayer into the chanting. Unlike Kiyomizu-dera or Fushimi Inari, Shinnyo-do doesn't appear in guidebooks. It's a local temple—quiet, intimate, and without crowds. A place where you can simply be, and listen. Thank you to Kacchan for sharing her story and guiding me through this beautiful place. Find more about my sound walks at kyotoinsound.com , with behind-the-scenes moments shared over on Substack .

People in this episode

Host: SJF

Guest: Kacchan

Topics covered

• Buddhism
• local culture
• temple visit
• nature
• meditation
• Kyoto

Keywords

• Shinnyo-do
• Buddha sculptor
• Amitabha Sutra
• meditation
• Kyoto temples
• nature's prayer
• local temple

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Amitabha Sutra Association

Books & works: Amitabha Sutra, Inzei Amida Sutra

Places: Shinnyo-do temple, North-East Kyoto, Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari

More episodes of The Kyoto, in Sound Podcast

• The Voice of the Commuter Trains: A morning spent at Umekōji Park | Kyoto, in Sound • Episode 07 · February 20, 2026 · 9 min
• Shaking the dust off: New Year at a Kyoto temple | Kyoto, in Sound • Episode 06 · January 11, 2026 · 8 min
• Finding calm in the noise of Kyoto | Kyoto, in Sound • Episode 05 · December 14, 2025 · 7 min
• E03 • Life-Affirming Sounds · October 16, 2025 · 8 min
• E02 • The Sounds of Autumn · September 11, 2025 · 10 min
• E01 • Suzaku Garden · August 11, 2025 · 9 min

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