Seoul, South Korea VI

I have visited a number of shrines and temples in Japan; I did the same in Korea. The difference was worshipers. The Korean temples had major prayer rooms filled with housewives. No kidding here: the only men were monks. I saw a few men on the compound later (in this photo far away), but never in the prayer rooms.

Japanese temples are preserved museums for the public. Surely there must be government involvement, not unlike Israel, to protect these places. Regardless, they are spotlessly kept in Japan. Korean temples are private places of worship. Many of them have chipping paint on the walls, but as I approached many, the sounds of chanting were heard from afar.