Shelter at the Temple (Japan, Kyoto)

The Meiji Jingu or Yasaka-jinja , like many temples in Kyoto , offer covered or sheltered areas that are not only intended for worship. In Japanese culture, these spaces also host moments of rest, meditation or transition for visitors. The use of woodwork in cedar or Japanese cypress (hinoki) is designed to last for centuries, resisting humidity and time.

Japan, one of the world's fastest-aging countries, is seeing more and more elderly people traveling alone , often with rolling luggage, over long distances on regional trains. Temples are becoming, literally and figuratively, ritual stops .