as Laotians and Cambodians. The international centers mainly emphasize meditation practice. The Japanese temple, Wat Paknam Japan, has a traditional Thai appearance, wide, with a classic Thai Ubosot hall. In 1957, Luang Pu Sodh had already planned to found a temple in Japan, after a Japanese had been ordained as a monk at Wat Paknam. Luang Pu Sodh died in 1959, and was not able to finish his plans, building only the foundations of a temple in Japan. Several more Japanese were ordained during the time Somdet Pun was abbot. Finally, under the guidance of Somdet Chuang, a full-fledged temple was started in Japan in 1997, through the support of Thai and Japanese. Ceremonies at the temple are joined by 300–400 people, on average, and just like the main temple, people wanting to lead the yearly Kathina ceremonies are reserving many years in advance. Apart from traditional Buddhist ceremonies and meditation, the temple teaches Thai culture, arts and language. The Japan temple has engaged in several charity programs. During the Japanese tsunami in 2011 and the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, the temple provided shelter and aid, and a medical center was established within the temple, staffed with medical personnel from Thailand. Moreover, the main temple of Wat Paknam in Thailand requested the Thai Sangha nationwide to provide aid to Japan through Wat Paknam Japan. The center has a good relation with the Shinnyo-en movement, and has run charity programs with the movement, such as aid for the victims of the flooding in South Thailand. In recognition of the temple's importance, Wat Paknam Japan was selected as one of the seven temples of the Chiba Prefecture worth visiting, according to Thai newspapers. Wat Paknam has donated considerably to some Thai temples abroad, and has from 2015 onward set up Pali study exams in the United States. Somdet Chuang has also set up cooperative initiatives with Sri Lankan temples, including an ordination program for Sri Lankans in Thailand, and the building of memorials in Sri Lanka at several places of historical significance. In recognition of his merits, Somdet Chuang has received honorific titles from the Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi and Burmese Sanghas. Layout and construction Wat Paknam is a temple complex, with a large number of buildings. Wat Paknam's oldest sections, such as the Buddha image in the ubosoth and the ho trai, still reveal its Ayutthaya origins and style. The temple's grounds are