Some of you who follow me on Twitter may have noticed that I post images of Jizo. Jizo Bosatsu is the kind and patient guardian deity of children and travellers.

Jizo is also a Buddha that has reached enlightenment but doesn’t go to Nirvana, choosing to stay on earth to help the suffering. In the colder months local people will take care of  by dressing them with red bibs and hats, as helping a Buddhist monk is a virtuous gesture and, again, earns more of that credit for getting into the