Koya-san

Having left Osaka, we travelled to the mountain town of Koya-san to stay in a traditional monastery. Having left the bright lights of the city behind, the fresh air and rustic nature of this part of Japan was a nice change. Forgive my naviety in the previous post, I was just not certain how much information there was going to be in English. Although most Japanese don't speak it, the announcements and English signage make moving around this magnificent country a real joy.

Anyway, having arrived in Koya-san, I was surprised by how much there was in the town. Having expected it to be a few temples and monasteries,  the huge infrastructure, was a little surprising. Our monastery was superb, if a little cold. The monks were very welcoming and couldn't do enough for you. The existence of wi-fi and TVs in the rooms took away a little from the traditional feel of the place, but I guess they are the expectations of the modern traveller.

We dumped our gear and headed for the first temple, Kongobuji. This beautiful temple told the story of the founder of the town, Kobo Daishi. Having cleansed ourselves in the traditional way, we entered and had a walk through the building. In every room there were superb paper screens depicting the events that led to the creation of the town and this temple. The elegant gardens of the place, as with everything so far, were beautifully manicured and there was a lovely air of relaxation and reflection to the area. The beautiful cherry blossoms, although late in the season, were fantastic and added a gentle beauty to the stunning scenery.

Next was Konpon Daito. This huge pagoda stood formidably high and had in its vicinity some equally lovely and superbly maintained, smaller buildings. The main building housed four Buddhas, all incarnations of Kobo Daishi.

We ate a traditional vegetarian meal, which was a little out of our Western tastes. While this sounds like a very narrow minded view, the food was not at all like anything any of us had experienced before and sadly, very few trays were finished. After dinner, our guide, Masa, taught us how to fold origami cranes. I'm sad to say, mine was dreadful! A career in this age old art is obviously not beckoning. There was then a chance to walk through the town's cemetery, home to some 200,000 tombs. This was a really well constructed tour and our monk guide was incredibly knowledgeable. We visited the tomb of Kobo Daishi, although it is believed he is still meditating some 1200 years after he started.

We finished our time in the mountains by watching a traditional morning prayer.  I have always been blown away by the dedication Buddhist monks have and this was no different. Despite it being a chilly 6:30 a.m. start, it was a privilege to watch them go through their morning rituals.

We headed back down the mountain and back to Osaka via the increasingly impressively efficient train system. We board a Shinkansen (Bullet train) next. This is something I've been looking forward to for a long time!