No Photos Allowed!

Why Buddhist Temples Forbid Photography

Alright, I’m going to be frank and state that I just really don’t have the free time required to pump out a Japan area guide this week. While I wish this weren’t the case, life occasionally has a way of intervening with the best laid plans of mice and men (or so they say). Still, with the little tidbits of time that I can cobble together here and there while on the go, I’d like to keep my regular schedule of writing one article per week. As such, we’ll be taking a look at a puzzling question that had long pestered even me; why can you take photos just about anywhere within Shinto shrines yet cannot do so inside Buddhist temples.

Before delving into the expose of why shutterbugs need to stash their cameras, let’s first set the stage for those unfamiliar with Japan. While my readers who have journeyed throughout the country are well aware, future travelers should know that the interior of most Buddhist temples are typically plastered with unsightly signs banning photography. While I am of the mind that such signage ruins the aesthetics, this practice is rather common throughout all of Japan. In fact, a quick Google query in Japanese shows there are only a handful of entries mentioning temples that actually allow photography within their hallowed halls.