Mt Koya (Koya-san)

A 1.5hr train trip took us through some Gokurakubashi. From this station there was a 5min (very very steep)cable car ride to the top of the mountain. We then had to get a bus for 20min to our `accommodation`.



A little background on Mt Koya. It is a World Heritage listed centre for buddhist studies and practice. It has 53 historical temples that you can stay in. We stayed in Shinjoshin-in. We did not stay in the main building though as I had booked us the Hanare. This was a free standing house which I decided to book to give us some room for a change.

I figured this was somewhere we would want to just relax and `be`. As we had to remove our shoes everytime we went indoors, they provided shoes that were easy to slip in & out of, to save the trouble of dealing with our own shoes all the time. Here is Mark heading off to dinner!!!!Yes they are the traditional shoes made of timber and we managed surprisingly well wearing them.

It was just perfect. It also included dinner & b`fast. Vegetarian only available and so varied and delicious that it had me believing I could live without meat (for a day anyway).

This is the dining room. As we were the guests of the Hanare we had top position next to a small stage with a hand painted back screen etc. This pic was taken looking down the room showing the divider screens between each couple of guests. It was a lovely experience with quiet chater gong on between guests and their neighbours.



Staying at one of the temples it is greatly preferred that guests join the monks in their morning service. We happily went along as we wanted to experience it. The ceremonial room where this service was held was so beautiful. Lots of beautiful fabric, black and gold urns and gold leaf flowers. It possibly sounds tacky but it was far from it. The rhythmic chanting was melodious and hypnotic. The brass singing bowl (`bell`) was amazing how long it reverberated for. Mark was fascinated. Most of the 20 guests staying there chose to sit on the `seats for western guests` but Mark & I chose to sit on the floor on cusions. It went for just over 30 mins which was enough for our legs to get close to pins and needles.

Another `place to see` which was a fascination to both of us was the cemetry. It was next door to ur temple and held over 200,000 graves/ monuments going back to around 800AD. How to explain it is the question. It went for 2 km set amongst towering cedar and pine trees. There were all types of small and large headstones. Some were to locals and also military folk. Some had their own little fences, seats, entry gates and letter boxes.

The paths through were also lit at night via standing granite lanterns and some overhead lighting to help see the way. We walked through both day and night. Each a different experience. The night time being a bit scary as we seemed to be the only people there.

All in all it was a great experience. It meant we had to go the 1.5hrs in and out and for us was well worth the effort. As soon as we arrived we could feel ourselves relaxing and unwinding after the bustle of Osaka.

We hope all are well and miss everyone. xD&M