“Japan’s empty temples seek new ways to survive”, DW, 8 Sep 2026.

“The 370-year-old structure has all the attributes of a classically designed Japanese temple, from the curved roof to the timber-frame walls, spacious tatami-mat prayer hall and elaborately decorated altar.

Set in manicured gardens on the Chita Peninsula in central Japan, the 350-square-meter (3,767-square-foot) property is on the market for 482 million yen (€2.66 million, US3.01 million). The estate agent’s pitch says the price includes dismantling by “expert heritage craftsmen” and delivery to anywhere in Japan, where it would be fully restored into a “stunning” two- or three-bedroom home.

The sale and removal of the temple marks the end of its role in the local community in the hills above the Nagasawacho district, but it is a better fate than many places of worship across Japan.

There are around 77,000 temples across the country, but as many as 17,000 no longer have a full-time resident priest as congregations have shrunk — particularly in rural districts experiencing rapid depopulation — and financial pressures have taken their toll.

That means many temples are being sold off or simply shuttered and left to deteriorate quietly……..”

Read the full article at DW.