Koyasan, Japan
We headed to the town of Koyasan in the Wakayama Prefecture. We’d be staying at a 1100 year old
Buddhist temple in the mountains.
It was well worth the trip for the temple stay, surrounding forest and walks around the town.
Traveling from Osaka we needed to travel by train, cable car and bus. Starting from Osaka we took the train to Rinkanden-Entoshi station.
We changed to the Nankai Koya Line to get to Gokurakubashi Station and then transferred directly to the Koyasan Cable Car. The ride was surprisingly steep and very scenic, as was the connecting bus journey to the centre of Koyasan.
Shortly after arriving we were in need of a good meal.
With a brief look around we found Sweet cafe Kiku. Not much else was open in town before 12pm, We had a couple of curry and rice bowls and headed to the temple we were staying at.
We were staying at the Sekishoin Temple.
Sekishoin was founded by Seikai Ajari about 1,100 years ago. It was originally called "Yamamotobo."
When we finally arrived at our destination and could not be happier. We would be sleeping in traditional Japanese rooms, eating traditional vegetarian meals on the tatami mats in the communal hall and participating in the morning Buddhist service.
We dropped off our bags at the temple and headed to the nearby Kongobu-ji Danjo Garan, a historical Buddhist temple complex.
The most prominent sight is the Kongobu-ji Kompon Daito (Grand Central Pagoda), a bright-red, 50m pagoda housing huge ornate statues and painted pillars.
We then headed to the Okunoin Cemetery.
There are more than 200,000 tombstones of feudal lords, memorial monuments, and cenotaphs in this 1000 year-old cedar grove.
We noticed that m
any of the memorials are draped with red hats or gowns. These red-clothed Mizuko Jizos figures represent children who have passed away and are placed by parents to protect the children en-route to the afterlife.
The cemetery is enormous, the atmosphere is incredible, especially in the twilight hours.
This is a must-see if in the area.
We also visited the Okunoin Temple.
This is the site of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism who lived from 774–835 A.D. Legend says he is still resting within the mausoleum in a state of eternal meditation.
We underestimated how big the Cemetery is and were very close to missing our evening meal at the temple after hurrying back
On our return to the Sekishoin Temple we had a traditional shojin-ryori vegetarian meal in the communal hall.
This cuisine uses no meat, fish, onions, or garlic.
Everything was tasty and, even for a meat-eater, it was very satisfying.
The variety of dishes included miso soup, pickled vegetables, tempura fried vegetables, fruit, tofu, rice and green tea.
After eating, we headed to our room. We were quite tired from from walking the whole day. We easily slept but we’d be waking up for the morning Buddhist service and breakfast at 6am.
Morning Service was held by the temple monks.
The chants/mantras and meanings were handily translated on a sheet for non-native speakers so that we could get a much better understanding,
Shortly after the service, breakfast was served in the communal hall. Rice, vegetables, tea, and tofu were happily eaten.
After breakfast we packed our things and started our travel to Nara.
Overview
We Stayed at: Sekishoin Temple for one nights in Koyasan.
We visited: Kongobu-ji Danjo Garan, Okunoin Cemetery, Okunoin Temple.,
We ate at: Sweet cafe Kiku
Next Stop: Nara
Subscribe to the blog and follow us on Instagram to keep up with our adventures.
