E04 • Nature's Prayer

On a drizzly October morning at Shinnyo-do temple in North-East Kyoto, I meet Kacchan—a respected Buddha sculptor who has worked with some of the city's most important temples. But today, she's brought me to her local temple, a place she's known since childhood.

We arrive on the one day each year when the Amitabha Sutra Association performs the secret Inzei Amida Sutra. As the monks' voices rise and fall in meditation, something remarkable happens: the crows and birds in the temple grounds begin calling out in response, weaving their own prayer into the chanting.

Unlike Kiyomizu-dera or Fushimi Inari, Shinnyo-do doesn't appear in guidebooks. It's a local temple—quiet, intimate, and without crowds. A place where you can simply be, and listen.

Thank you to Kacchan for sharing her story and guiding me through this beautiful place.

Find more about my sound walks at kyotoinsound.com, with behind-the-scenes moments shared over on Substack.