In
August of 2018 on our way
back to the U.S. to visit friends and family, we had an
11-hour layover
in Narita, Japan. This afforded us the opportunity to
visit two of the
areas highlights, the Naritasan Shinsho-ji Temple Temple
and the adjacent
Naritasan Park. Both are located a short train ride from
the airport,
and are accessed via the picturesque Omotesando Street,
shown in the
photo to the left. Over 1,000 years old, Naritasan
Shinsho-ji Temple
(shown in the photo to the
right) is Japan's third most visited temple, and is sacred
to Shingon
Buddhism. The Naritasan Park on the temple grounds is a
wonderful green
space and a respite in this highly urbanized enviroment.
Key elements
of both the temple and the park are explained the in the
virtual tour
below.
There is also
a version of this tour
designed specifically
for VR headsets such as Google Cardboard, and
it works with both
iPhones and Android devices. It may be access
by scanning on the QR
code to the
left. If you are viewing this site on a mobile
phone, you may access
the VR tour by following this
link.
For iOS devices: scan QR code with your device's camera app, tap on the prompt to open Safari. Select "Allow Device Motion" and the next prompt, "Allow Access to Motion Orientation." Turn the device to landscape mode and a split screen will appear. When the screen turns white, swipe up for fullscreen mode, and place in headset. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]
For Android devices: Open the camera app and use the built-in scanner to scan the QR code above. Confirm that you want to open the website, and wait for it to load--it should load in stereo view. Select the fullscreen ("X" option) from the menu at the bottom. Turn the device to landscape mode and you are ready to go. Here is a video of how to do this--it is simpler than it sounds! [The video opens in a new window--close when done to return to this page]