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Bhagwan Mahavirswami Jain Temple is the only Jain temple in Japan.

As you know, Buddhism has spread in Japan since ancient times. But the Jainism, another Indian origin religion founded by Mahaaviira, had not been known in Japan.

At the opening of the country in 1859, Kobe was opend as one of the five international seaports by Tokugawa Shogunate. Since that, Indian traders began to visit and stay in the city of Kobe.

Today, there still exists a community of Indian residents. Some of them are second, third (or more) generation in Japan who speak local dialect of Kobe. And some of them are Jainists. Bhagwan Mahavirswami Jain Temple was built by them in 1984.