on this new year's eve, this nightwalker decided to be spiritual for once. i fully knew that there was no mass, but i just wanted to visit a catholic church and make sure to enter and have some solemn time.
st. ignatius - kojimachi catholic church
this stained glass was donated to the church on 1965: 14 panels in total each depicting the stations of the cross. just look at how detailed that looks and well maintained it seems to be at. the church was built in 1949 very near sophia university.
when i first visited this church, i found it its shape to be unique. most catholic churches are polygonal in shape, having straight edges on its sides, but this one is an oval. i find that unique.
the church grounds had other buildings and halls in it for administration, and sunday school. they also have multipurpose halls for symposiums and talks. this is one of the biggest churches i have visited in japan, their website indicates 17 thousand parishioners as of 2019 and that is huge.
this is how the church looks like from the entrance. it doesn't look like a church at all, very unique. if not for the cross on top, you would not think that this is a religious building at all. i originally thought that it was close at the time i arrived.
and this is how it looks inside. the church pews were also curved to fit perfectly in this oval church. that ceiling is really a centerpiece, so pretty. in daytime, sunlight could enter the church through the stained glass on the walls and from the top. their are columns at the back to support the 2nd floor area dedicated to the church choirs. but aside from that, most of the space has no columns which gives you an unobstructed view of the presiding priest in front. that also makes the area very spacious.
it has a very minimalist design, i should say. that adds to the solemn and peaceful mood of the church. i am just glad that someone was still inside, i could take my sweet time. i just want to give thanks for everything received this year, and just want to ask for guidance for the next. the church gave me a lot of peace and comfort. in this very busy world we are in, finding peace has become a necessity.
after some time, i went out and saw this nativity scene display. there goes the star again.
you can visit the church's website for sunday mass schedules and other details. they hold mass in japanese, english, spanish, and vietnamese to cater to the ever growing parishioners they have.
this church was just across yotsuya station but belonging to a different city; yotsuya station is part of shinjuku while the church is in chiyoda, the train tracks in between served as border of these two. this well lit area above is a bridge, yotsuyamitsuke bridge. built on 1991, it crosses on top the train tracks. art deco style street lights line the sides of this bridge.
i continued this nightwalk to shinjuku and rode the train from there. i could have walked further, everything felt lighter after the church visit.
hoping you a peaceful and prosperous 2025.
have a happy new year.
BULAHANG BAG-ONG TUIG!
all content is by yours truly unless otherwise specified
all photos are taken with a galaxy s23 ultra
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Height168.0 cm |  | Weight70.7 kg |  | Body Fat% |  |
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