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Hōzen-ji

Shutterstock / twoKim images

OSAKA, JAPAN - APRIL 6, 2015: Hozenji yokocho buddhist temple in Osaka. ; Shutterstock ID 270413630; Your name (First / Last): Laura Crawford; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Osaka city app POI images

This tiny temple hidden down a narrow alley houses a statue of Fudō Myō-ō (a deity of esoteric Buddhism), covered in thick moss. It's a favourite of people employed in mizu shōbai ('water trade' – a euphemism for the sexually charged night world), who pause before work to throw some water on the statue.

Hōzen-ji Yokochō, the alley filled with traditional restaurants and bars, runs between the temple and the Sennichi-mae shopping arcade.

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