Guide

Welcome to the new and improved home of The Temple Guy!

Please use the links below to go to further guides (and to get some idea of what this site covers). Or, if you prefer, just browse the blog.


Additionally, you can see "teasers" if you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram.

Now, let's go have some fun!

A technical note: Blog entries for places visited will be in the order visited--that is, if I visited a temple in China on a day in 2009, that will be the date of the blog entry. Current entries--dates in 2019, say--will include background information and let you know What's New?

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Each of the following serves as a sort of "Sub-Guide" to the topic. Go explore! The first of these is still (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) but the rest of the Sub-Guides are ready for viewing, as are all Google maps.

• Figures and Features Found in Temples: A listing of the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Kings and generals, Arhats, and historical personages found in the temples of Japan and China (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
• A Pilgrim's Progress: A record of what I saw, where, and when--in chronological order (currently Japan and China only)
• My Google Maps: A full listing of the maps I've made, as linked at the bottom of each sub-guide

JAPAN

• The Saigoku 33 Kannon Route: A circuit dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Compassion in the Kansai area (around Kyoto) (1999-2001)
• The Bando 33 Kannon Route: A circuit dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Compassion in the Kanto area (around Tokyo) (1999-2001)
• The Chichibu 34 Kannon Route: A circuit dedicated to the Bodhisattva of Compassion in a mountainous area outside of Tokyo (2001)

Note: The three routes above together constitute the "Nihon Hyakku Kannon kasho," the 100 Kannon Places of Japan.

• The 53 Stations of the Tokaido: A 400-year-old post road between Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo), linking the Emperor to the Shogun (2001) (Here's the archived account of the trip.)
• Old Yamato: A four-day stop-in at Japan's ancient capital region, with visits to Nara, Asuka, and Koyasan. (Here's the archived account of the visit.)
• The Shikoku 88 Route: A circuit dedicated to Kobo Daishi (Kukai), founder of the esoteric Shingon Buddhism (2001) (See a complete list of Shikoku's bangais here.) (Here's the archived account of the pilgrimage.)

Note: The three experiences above were undertaken in a single journey--largely on foot--of just over 10 weeks.

• Pilgrimages inside Tokyo: One long and six short pilgrimages inside Tokyo dedicated to various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, etc. (ten Shinto shrines, too!) done over a couple of weeks (2004), as well as my first-ever pilgrimage in 1998
• Other Temples and Shrines in Japan: Independent sacred sites encountered in my travels (1997-2010)

CHINA

• China's 142 Key Temples: Sites deemed important for opening and development according to a 1983 list by the Beijing government (2009-2012--so far!)
• Other Temples in China: Random visits from throughout my stay (2004-2015)
• Temples in Hong Kong: Just across the border from where I lived in the mainland (2004-2015)
• Temples in Macau: Mostly from two visits in 2005

OTHER COUNTRIES

• Temples in Singapore (including Hindu temples): From a visit in 2009 (list to be added)
• Temples in Indonesia (including Hindu temples): From visits in 2010 (Bali) and 2012 (Jakarta) (list to be added)
• Temples and Old Churches in the Philippines: From numerous visits starting in 2005 (and now residence!)
• Temples in America: Mostly just Hsi Lai Temple in Hacienda Heights, CA (2002) (others to be added)

MISSIONS AND MORE
(from travels in a previous life--mostly pre-1997)

• Missions and Old Churches in California
• Missions and Ruins in Arizona
• Missions, Old Churches, and Ruins in New Mexico
• Ruins in Utah and Colorado
• Missions in Texas
• Missions and Ruins in Baja California

ARCHIVES

(Old websites being moved here and used as source materials)

(See here for more information on each)

• My Aki Meguri: (Guide) (Blog) A 10-week journey through Japan in 2001, including the Old Tokaido highway, the Yamato Area, and the 88-temple pilgrimage around Shikoku Island.
• An Ascent of Hsi Lai Temple: (Guide) (Blog) A look at the "largest Buddhist temple in North America" in 2002
• Archived Posts: (Guide) (Blog) A gathering of scattered posts from the old site
• China Temple Articles: (Guide) (Blog) Augmented versions of my "China's Key Temple" articles from the Shenzhen Daily (November, 2011, to June, 2015)
• China Temple Postcards: (Guide) (Blog) "Postcards" of my China travels published daily from September 1, 2012, to February 28, 2013, and from September 23 to November 15, 2013
• China Facebook Albums: (Guide) (Blog) Facebook albums from my tenth trip onward
• Temple Tales Articles: (Guide) (Blog) 110+ articles about the figures and features of temples written from June, 2015, to October, 2017, for the Shenzhen Daily
• My Old Weebly Website: (Guide) (Blog) An effort to catalog all the places I'd been
• Some Old Projects: A page that lists old blogs and whatnot destined for The Temple Guy, JamesBaquet.com--or the bin

Last updated October 21, 2019