Koukokuji temple head priest Yajima Taijun walks through the Ruriden columbarium as glass Buddha alt
Koukokuji temple head priest Yajima Taijun walks through the Ruriden columbarium as glass Buddha alters are lit up on April 6, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. The Ruriden, operated by the Koukokuji buddhist temple, took two years to build and houses 2046 futuristic alters with glass buddha statues that correspond to drawers storing the ashes of the deceased. An IC card allows the owner of the alter to access the building and lights up the corresponding statue. The ashes are stored for 33 years before being buried below the Ruriden, currently 600 alters are in use and another 300 are reserved. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images) -- source link