Author: Ms. R.

Buddhism is one of the largest religions in Japan, and there are many Buddhist temples across the country. These temples feature many different depictions of Buddha, from the Nyorai Buddha in Aomori to Daibutsuden in Nara and many in between. These many forms represent the various manifestations and aspects of Buddhism. One unique standout is the Gokōshiyui Amidabutu found at Kurodani Temple in Kyoto. Gokōshiyui Amidabutu roughly translates to “Amida Buddha of Five Kalpa Thought.” In Buddhism, the term kalpa refers to an extremely long period……

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To many French people, the word cervoise evokes the popular comic book series Astérix et Obélix, which charts the adventures of two Gaulish warriors in Roman-occupied proto-France. Accompanied by their druid companion, who brews them a magic potion that makes them temporarily invincible, the two explore, fight, eat, and drink their way through ancient Europe. It’s a fun romp, rife with both historical accuracy and anachronism, and given the setting in France, it’s perhaps unsurprising that many of the……

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Guildford Union Workhouse Casual Ward was built in 1906, to temporarily house the vagrant folk of the town. Though this may sound charitable and preferable to some other alternatives, this workhouse, like many others, was located on the outskirts of town, thereby relegating society’s ill, infirm, and impoverished, away from the communities they wished to be part of. With a maximum stay of two nights, and compulsory hard labor to “earn their keep,” the workhouse was far from homely……

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The Dimnice Cave is spectacular enough on its own. A vertical cave mouth opens up from the earth with a railed path spiraling tens of meters down from the forest above. Once past the locked gate, your guide leads you into a largely unspoiled natural karst cave system. Here you’ll find a treasure trove of geological formations and small animals eking out a life underground. Far down in the cave system, along the underground river, you’ll encounter decaying manmade……

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Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre first opened in 1934 and has been in continuous operation ever since. The theater was named for its founder, Wilson Shankweiler, a prominent entrepreneur and hotel owner in the Lehigh Valley. The second drive-in theater ever built, Shankweiler’s Drive-In preceded the flood of outdoor cinemas that would sprout up across the country in the mid-1950s. Though pop-up style outdoor movies existed in the 1930s, few were permanently-constructed venues, and none catered specifically to automobiles. Shankweiler’s Drive-In……

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This article is from Hakai Magazine, an online publication about science and society in coastal ecosystems. Read more stories like this at hakaimagazine.com. Scientists in South Africa have found that ceramic nest boxes can shield endangered African penguins from climate change. In the past, the seabirds laid their eggs in burrows dug into centuries-old layers of their own excrement. But in the 1800s, most of the guano was scraped up by traders and shipped to the United Kingdom as……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, in honor of Lucia Day on December 13, we’re diving into the origins of a Swedish holiday tradition which evolved from sinister pagan lore to a celebration of light, warmth, and music. Tune into SVT’s Lucia broadcast: https://www.svtplay.se/video/e3vGxaR/luciamorgon-fran-grafsnas. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you……

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This Atlas Obscura–themed crossword comes from independent crossword constructor Brendan Emmett Quigley. He has been a professional puzzlemaker since 1996, and his pieces have appeared in dozens of publications. He’s also a member of the Boston Typewriter Orchestra. You can solve the puzzle below, or download it in .pdf or .puz. Note that the links in the clues will take you to Atlas Obscura pages that contain the answer. Happy solving!…

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