A yellow-colored Buddhist temple adorned with flags and golden dragons on its pointed roofs in a quiet town outside Tokyo presents a stark contrast to the typically somber-looking Buddhist places of worship usually found in rural Japan.

But the steady stream of out-of-town weekend visitors and their nationality also set it apart, for the temple was built by and serves members of the large Vietnamese community in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Despite its out-of-the-way location, the Vietnam Temple in Aikawa, Kanagawa Prefecture, located about 50 kilometers from central Tokyo, has become a magnet for many members of the community, drawing them both for the spiritual guidance it offers and the sense of community they find there.