A spectacular and unique festival that you'll find nowhere else in Japan
This event is a traditional ceremony that has been held for over 1,000 years at Isakiji -temple, and the heroic sight of monks jumping into the lake leaves spectators in awe. Specifically, this is a unique Buddhist ascetic practice performed at the temple situated on a cliff overlooking Lake Biwa, the country's largest lake. A ritual you'll find nowhere else in Japan. This unique ritual takes place every year on August 1st at Isakiji -temple located in Ohmi-Hachiman City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. As a matter of fact, I saw this ascetic practice two years ago, but I just took a quick look from the side of the temple on the cliff. However, this year I fortunately won the lottery to determine who would ride on a fishing boat, so I was able to see the moment the ascetic monks jumped into the lake up close. An ascetic monk jumping from the tip of a beam 7 meters above the surface of the lake. A thick wooden beam, approximately 14 meters long, projected horizontally in...
