M.J. Rose

The glorious Atlas Obscura offers this interesting piece about a group of monks from Japan who died in the ultimate act of self-denial…and ultimately became relics –

Sokushinbutsu of Dainichi temple

The self-mummified monks of Japan

(Atlas Obscura)

“Scattered throughout northern Japan are over two dozen mummified Japanese monks known as sokushinbutsu. Followers of shugend?, an ancient form of Buddhism, the monks died in the ultimate act of self-denial.

For three years, the priests would eat a special diet consisting only of nuts and seeds, while taking part in a regimen of rigorous physical activity that stripped them of their body fat. They then ate only bark and roots for another three years and began drinking a poisonous tea made from the sap of the urushi tree, normally used to lacquer bowls. This caused vomiting and a rapid loss of bodily fluids, and—most importantly—it killed off any maggots that might cause the body to decay after death. Finally, a self-mummifying monk would lock himself in a stone tomb barely larger than his body, wherein he would not move from the lotus position. His only connection to the outside world was an air tube and a bell. Each day, he rang a bell to let those outside know that he was still alive. When the bell stopped ringing, the tube was removed and the tomb sealed.

Not all monks who attempted self-mummification were successful. When the tombs were finally opened, some bodies were found to have rotted…”

For the rest, and many photos, click here to visit to Atlas Obscura.

Where can one eat a lavish underground dinner in a restaurant illuminated by giant salt-crystal chandeliers, and then visit with the seven dwarves near an underground lake, and then stop over in several chapels and a cathedral if you fancy?

Why, the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland of course…

(From Atlas Obscura)

“The Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland is the epitome of technological human progress. The beginnings of the current mine are believed to have been primitively excavated after the discovery of a rock salt deposit in ancient times. In the middle ages, salt became recognized as one of the most important staples in the food and preservation industry, leading to the advancement of salt mining technology and further excavation. During the Renaissance, the mine was one of the largest business ventures in Europe. It was around this time that royal tourists started to flock to the mine, lured there in part by the developing Renaissance taste for humanism and culture…”

For the photo album and more, click here.

As if the zombie apocalypse happened and everyone abandoned their cars trying to get out of town…

Photos of a traffic jam stuck in the woods for 70 years

(Death and Taxes magazine)

“Around the town of Chatillon, Belgium, the end of World War II left a few creepy hallmarks of the armistice in the form of long lines of cars left abandoned by the hundreds in the woods. While one theory goes that the cars belonged to Americans who left them in a hurry on their way off the continent, Bored Panda points out that no one really knows for sure…”

For more photos of this strangeness, click here.