Where We Call Home

A Brazilian's Journey to Buddhist Priesthood (4x21)

Air date: Oct 23, 2023

In the village of Yamakogawa in Chiba Prefecture, Brazilian Joken Fernandes trains at a temple to be a Buddhist priest. Zen meditation, reading sutras and chores are part of his rigorous daily routine, but Joken faces a bigger challenge. As future head priest, he must earn the trust of the local community that supports the temple. We follow Joken as he prepares a meditation workshop for the villagers. We also meet Indonesian Amani Amiroh who runs an amusement park souvenir shop in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture.