NAGOYA -- "It's just like being in Tibet!"

That's the impression when you step into the Qambalin Buddhist temple in this city's Moriyama Ward, the only officially recognized Tibetan temple in Japan.

One of the most eye-catching features at the hilltop temple, known as a power spot and considered good fortune for matchmaking, is its gleaming gold roof. Below that is a stone staircase one could swear they've seen before in Kung-Fu movies. With the standout reds and greens of the rectangular five-colored "darchog" prayer flags blowing in the breeze, it feels all the more like one has set foot in the central Asian region.

Walking up the stone steps and entering the red gate, a colorfully decorated building comes into view below the glaring golden roof.

In 2005, Qambalin was built by its first chief priest, now 84-year-old Eibin Morishita, and modeled after the Jokhang Temple Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Lhasa. "Qamba," also spelled "chamba," is derived from the bodhisattva Maitreya, while "lin" is the Tibetan word for temple.

Inside, just as in Jokhang, the Buddha and his 12 Bodhisattva disciples are enshrined. The atmosphere is so spiritual, you might start to think the two temples are directly connected.

Second-generation head priest Zuido Morishita, 66, explained why there is a Tibetan Buddhist temple here to begin with: "Eibin originally followed a different religion. She believed that severe ascetic practices would lead to helping others, and when she learned that Tibetan Buddhist ascetic practices were even more severe, became interested. She went to Tibet and completed ascetic training at 11 temples, the highest of which was about 5,000 meters above sea level, and received approval from Jokhang Monastery to build Qambalin."

In the past, monks have even come to the temple from Tibet to hold memorial services. However, Chinese authorities have kept monks there under close watch since an uprising in part of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, which some monks took part in, in 2008. Coming to Japan became difficult, and their religious activities have reportedly stopped.

"If it is not a sutra read by people directly from there, it cannot be considered really meaningful missionary work," said Morishita. However, the ancient tales from Tibet have deeply colored the temple's reputation as a place for making good connections and romantic fulfilment.

Long ago, it is said that a female "yaksa" demon spirit appeared before a male monkey that was training in the Tibetan highlands and made repeated proposals. The monkey turned her down due to his practices, but overwhelmed by passion, agreed to marry her under the condition that she promise to not kill again. The monkey and their six offspring are believed to be the ancestors of the Tibetan people, and wooden sculptures of them depicting the legend are found in Qambalin.

Mongolians and others living in Japan visit the temple as a place of spiritual comfort, and the Mongolia-born former sumo yokozuna Hakuho Sho has even visited. Recently, it's become popular as a place to get buzzworthy shots for social media.

Smiling, Morishita said, "I'm happy to allow people to feel free to come and experience the culture of another country."

Qambalin is located a five-minute walk from Ryusenji Station on the Yutorito Line. By car, it is five minutes from the Moriyama smart interchange. The temple is open on weekends and holidays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission costs 200 yen (about $1.25). On the first Sunday of every month, the head priest and others pray for visitors' wishes at a "Qambalin festival" service.

(Japanese original by Sho Ohara, Nagoya News Department)