Ōsu is one of the busiest shopping areas of Nagoya as well as one of the “big three” of Japan’s electric towns, considered a hub of otaku subculture alongside Akihabara and Nipponbashi. Consisting of several arcades, Ōsu’s heart lies in Kigakurin Banshōji, a Buddhist temple that’s more than it seems. At first glance, Banshōji may not look much, as it blends in among the shops and restaurants, often unnoticed by tourists. Housed in a five-story concrete building since 1994, the temple is modernized, but its history goes back much further….
