Setting aside time for solitude can be a healthy habit, and doing it in a spiritual atmosphere can be even healthier.
Many office workers in Tokyo's Kamiyacho area, a business district between Roppongi and Toranomon, have benefited from the quiet space in Komyoji Temple that Buddhist monk Shoukei Matsumoto has made available for public use on weekdays.
As the director of a nonprofit organization called Otera no Mirai (Japan Fellowship of Buddhists), Matsumoto has initiated various projects in order to rebuild the lost temple community in Japan and attract more visitors to the religious site.