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Feb 10 2011 15 Comments

Praying for Prada?

There’s often doubt cast on the authenticity of monks sometimes seen praying on Tokyo’s streets, with suspicions that more than a few of them are elaborately dressed fraudsters merely after some money; the validity of either the doubters, or indeed those possibly doing the praying, I personally have no way of proving.

So, with this in mind, and considering that he was photographed in Tokyo’s glitzy and brand-driven Ginza district, this particular man may well have been preoccupied with nothing more spiritual than a Prada emblazoned bag, but, for reasons I can’t really explain, I think he could be for real.

Buddhist monk in Ginza

Categorized: Photography, Religion

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TigrouMeow says

    2/10/2011 at 3:09 pm

    That’s funny, I also took a picture of this guy in Ginza. One day, I’ll see a picture of myself featured on your blog, I’m sure! :p

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/10/2011 at 10:02 pm

      We often seem to be in Ginza at the same time, so yeah, it’s surely only a matter of time!

      Reply
  2. Biggie says

    2/10/2011 at 4:17 pm

    look who we’ve got here…: http://bigger-in-japan.blogspot.com/2010/12/what-in-name.html

    Reply
  3. Ethan says

    2/10/2011 at 6:53 pm

    yay.. i also took a pic of this guy @ ginza 3 weeks ago when I first visited japan! :]

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/10/2011 at 10:06 pm

      Blimey, he’s incredibly well photographed!

      Reply
  4. gunmagirl says

    2/10/2011 at 7:26 pm

    I’d think the Koyasan name on his front bag would be a little hard to copy or steal, and there are enough Japanese who have been there that it would be pretty silly for him to try to fake it…good for him for trying to remind folks in the glitz world that everything that glitters isn’t gold.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      2/10/2011 at 10:11 pm

      Yeah, he’d be pretty brazen if he is a fake. But nobody, apart from me and obviously plenty of other gaijin, were taking any notice of him.

      Reply
  5. Tiger Tsuki says

    2/11/2011 at 3:05 am

    Shoulda, Coulda, Prada! 😉

    Reply
  6. andy says

    2/11/2011 at 4:35 am

    he’s legit. I can tell by his posture, how comfortable he is, his hand motion with the bell and his demeanor all together. They altogether suggest years of practice and training. If he’s a fake, he was kicked out and is getting revenge by making the religious foundation look bad lol

    Reply
  7. Jeffrey says

    2/11/2011 at 1:59 pm

    I agree with andy. It’s they guys in the Gucci loafers that just don’t look right.

    Reply
  8. El-Branden Brazil says

    2/12/2011 at 2:10 pm

    If I may say, the odd coins that are thrown into the monks’ bowls, are hardly worth any fraudster’s efforts. Besides, the intention of the giver is far more important than the intention of the receiver. If there is any fraud, and I am extremely sceptical of this rumour in Japan, then the fraudster has his own karma to workout.

    Reply
  9. El-Branden Brazil says

    2/12/2011 at 2:16 pm

    The monks perform this practice to encourage giving, in the same way that monks collect alms in Southeast Asia. For Buddhists, giving of any kind is extremely important in one’s spiritual path. In particular, giving to a monk is considered auspicious, as they are seen as people (hopefully) who have dedicated their lives to the Dharma (Buddha’s teachings).

    Reply
  10. andy says

    2/15/2011 at 3:51 am

    el-branden, you have to keep in mind giving is only helpful in the spiritual path if your truly giving for a cause and NOT to feel better about yourself…

    Reply
  11. El-Branden says

    2/15/2011 at 3:41 pm

    And that is exactly why I mentioned “intention” in my first comment. Right intention is paramount.

    Reply
  12. Hans ter Horst says

    5/1/2011 at 4:49 pm

    I took a photo of him in 2008: http://hoshisato-travel.blogspot.com/2007/09/buddhist-monk-in-ginza-tokyo.html
    When I put up these photos, my Japanese wife and some of her friends mentioned that apparently there are quite a few fake monks walking the streets of Tokyo, especially Ginza. I have no idea how to spot the difference, so I preferred to think of this guy as the real think 🙂

    Reply

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