Daibutsu-den (the Temple of the Great Buddha) at the Lantern Festival: Todai-ji (Nara)

I visited Nara city (the capital city of Nara Prefecture of Japan) to attend the Bon Lantern Festival (the Buddhist festival of the dead) held at Todai-ji temple and Kasuga-taisha Shinto shrine.

In the dim blue twilight, the Temple of the Great Buddha was solemnly illuminated and the countless lanterns were gently flickering to beacon the souls of deceased persons who return to the land of the living once a year.

Through the Kan-so-mado (the window to see the face), the shining statue of Virocana Buddha was mercifully watching over this memorial festival of lights, in which the souls and their living families are supposed to be able to meet again.