 Image search results - "hagaji" |
On Jan. 20, 2009, the US Presidential Inauguration Day for Hawaii-born Barack Obama, the city of Obama in Fukui held a special event at Hagaji temple. 羽賀寺
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Hagaji temple is one of Obama's major temples with Important Cultural Properties including an 11-face Kannon statue.
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Path to Hagaji temple's main Hondo hall.
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Hagaji's temple bell.
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Hagaji temple's Hondo main hall where the 11-face Kannon statue is worshipped. This is the main venue for Obama's Inauguration Day event.
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Near the Hondo hall were tents selling Obama food and merchandise. The sign celebrates the birth of US President Obama.
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Obama goods included sake rice wine.
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Obama's Inauguration Day event was called "Going Beyond the Seven Seas--Peace Bell Ringing for the World. 七つの海を超えて、世界にとどけ平和の鐘
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At 7 pm, fireworks were launched near the temple as the signal to start ringing the Hagaji temple bell. About eight temples in Obama (as well as in Nagasaki where there is Obama Onsen spa) started ringing the temple bell at 7 pm for world peace.
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Various people rang it a total of seven times to spread peace over the seven oceans of the world. The temple priest was the first to strike the bell.
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The temple priest prays after ringing the bell.
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Other people who rang the bell included members of the Obama Girls who were to perform later.
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After the bell ringing, a large local choir sang Beethoven, including three professional soloists who sang for free.
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They sang "Ode to Joy" from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
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After the choir, the Obama Girls hula dancers took over the stage and danced two songs. For someone like me from Hawaii, it was trippy to see hula dancing in a Buddhist temple.
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