Buyers Want Japanese Temples for Tax Breaks — VOA Learning English
Topics: мистецтво й музика
Beginning
Benmou Suzuki is a religious worker at a 420-year-old temple that is not in very good condition.
It is deep in the forest near a small Japanese mountain village. It does not look like a valuable property.
Yet two men recently asked Suzuki if he was interested in selling. He said he thinks they did not want the old, ornate building next to a mountain that is considered holy. Instead, they wanted the special tax status that comes with running a religious property.
"There are people out there who want a temple, even a mountain temple like this," said 52-year-old Suzuki.
Japan's population is decreasing and interest in religion is less intense. There are fewer people to support the country's many…
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