Society

Japanese Households with Buddhist Altars Has Drastically Decreased

Toyama, Sep 25 (News On Japan) - As the number of households with Buddhist altars continues to decline, largely due to space limitations in modern housing, wholesalers of Buddhist goods are struggling with unsold inventory.

A survey revealed that while 39.2% of households have a Buddhist altar, nearly 80% of households in apartment buildings do not. This trend has significantly affected Takaoka City in Toyama Prefecture, a hub for Buddhist goods production.

Faced with large volumes of unsold goods, Takanobu Hashimoto, president of a long-established Buddhist goods wholesaler, came up with a creative solution. Inspired by a photo of a bonsai placed in a Buddhist vessel, he repurposed these items as plant containers. His new product, dubbed "Wabi-Sabi Pots," quickly gained popularity, selling out online. Hashimoto is now exploring additional ways to repurpose Buddhist goods, including creating aroma diffusers for home use.

Source: ANN

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