Japan 2010, Day 08 - Koyasan
Today we said our last good-byes to Kumano and made our way to the heart of Shingon Buddhism, Koyasan. Koyasan, or Mt. Koya, was founded by the priest Kobo Daishi (aka Kukai), in the 6th century. The mountains today host many temples, along with Okunoin, the most important graveyard in Japan.
Unfortunately the road to Koyasan via train is not an easy one, and coming from Kumano makes it even more difficult during the springtime. One can only imagine how it must have been in the last century before any railways. XD;
Our travel basically took us to the other end of Wakayama, south of Osaka. Thus the majority of the day was spent on the train, going south, west, then finally north up the peninsula.
We left Shingu early, buying fresh made bento at a small shop near the station (the rice was just made *__* and super hoka hoka). It was also starting to rain, but thankfully it was a warm rain.
The ride to Wakayama was relatively uneventful. I tried to take pictures of the coastline and interesting rock formations
Originally we were supposed to stop by Kii-Tanabe for lunch, but we were so worried about making the train to Koyasan that we skipped it.
My bento was really good! <3
Once we got to Wakayama, we boarded the train inland, and then after 1-2- hour ride, boarded the Nankai Railway to Koyasan. After reaching Gokurakubashi, we boarded the cable car up to Koyasan.
Once we got to Koyasan, it was a matter of getting on the bus and finding out which stop to get off. The temple we were staying at was Shojoshinin on the other end of the area, right next to Okunoin.
The gardens were also really pretty~
At first it seemed like no one was at the entrance way, so I called out for anyone. I think this is the first time in my life I've actually used 「ごめん下さい」 that was outside of Japanese class practice from '02. XD;;;
A monk came to greet us, taking us to the registry room. Even though his English was pretty good, I still had to do some translating. XD;; At fist we thought we only paid for breakfast, but dinner was included as well. The temple doors would be closed by 5, but we could enter/exit through the side gate. We would be summoned for dinner at 6, so we were asked to wait in our rooms to be called around that time. After a little more protocol review, we were shown to our rooms.
Our luggage was really heavy but the monk was able to lift BOTH of them and go up the really steep stairs with no problem. O_O;
Our room was at the very end, near the quarters that housed the Japanese guests. There was one room in between ours and another visitor, which is nice since the only thing between our room and the next was a shoji. XD;;
The room was very comfy looking with a few simple amenities. The only electrical appliances were a television, a heater, and a hot water boiler. Otherwise it was very similar to my stay at a temple in 2001. The futon were already laid out too.
On the table was some tea and kuri-manju. <333
We had quite a bit of time before dinner, so we decided to go check out part of Okunoin.
Okunoin is the largest and most sacred graveyard in Japan, said to be hallowed by the presence of Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. Many famous people are buried here, even up to the present age, due to their desire to be near Kobo Daishi. If you're a fan of Japan's warring states period - almost every famous daimyo is buried here. The gravesites will be in the next post. :)
Because it was raining and it was nearing dinnertime, we decided to save the majority of the exploration for the following day. We headed back to the temple and washed up for dinner.
Dinner consisted of Shojin ryori, the vegetarian meal of the Buddhist monks. In Buddhism you're typically supposed to avoid eating meat (well at least in Japanese Buddhism), so cooks make a great deal of use out of rice, tofu, beans, and fresh vegetables. Stocks are made strictly from konbu. It you're a vegetarian you'll find a delightful paradise of wonderful flavors that completely eclipses western vegetarianism. The monks have had hundreds of years to perfect this art, to the point that you'll completely forget you're eating a vegetarian meal because it tastes so good! There's even a 200 year old text from the Edo period covering more than 100 ways to cook tofu. *___*
If you hadn't noticed, I looove tofu! Even gomadofu (seasame tofu) which was included in our meal. XDD
After dinner was a late night bath and relaxation. By this time the rains were pounding really hard outside. Tomorrow was exploring Koyasan in the morning, then heading to Kyoto to visit my relatives. x_X;
Unfortunately the road to Koyasan via train is not an easy one, and coming from Kumano makes it even more difficult during the springtime. One can only imagine how it must have been in the last century before any railways. XD;
Our travel basically took us to the other end of Wakayama, south of Osaka. Thus the majority of the day was spent on the train, going south, west, then finally north up the peninsula.
We left Shingu early, buying fresh made bento at a small shop near the station (the rice was just made *__* and super hoka hoka). It was also starting to rain, but thankfully it was a warm rain.
The ride to Wakayama was relatively uneventful. I tried to take pictures of the coastline and interesting rock formations
Originally we were supposed to stop by Kii-Tanabe for lunch, but we were so worried about making the train to Koyasan that we skipped it.
My bento was really good! <3
Once we got to Wakayama, we boarded the train inland, and then after 1-2- hour ride, boarded the Nankai Railway to Koyasan. After reaching Gokurakubashi, we boarded the cable car up to Koyasan.
Once we got to Koyasan, it was a matter of getting on the bus and finding out which stop to get off. The temple we were staying at was Shojoshinin on the other end of the area, right next to Okunoin.
The gardens were also really pretty~
At first it seemed like no one was at the entrance way, so I called out for anyone. I think this is the first time in my life I've actually used 「ごめん下さい」 that was outside of Japanese class practice from '02. XD;;;
A monk came to greet us, taking us to the registry room. Even though his English was pretty good, I still had to do some translating. XD;; At fist we thought we only paid for breakfast, but dinner was included as well. The temple doors would be closed by 5, but we could enter/exit through the side gate. We would be summoned for dinner at 6, so we were asked to wait in our rooms to be called around that time. After a little more protocol review, we were shown to our rooms.
Our luggage was really heavy but the monk was able to lift BOTH of them and go up the really steep stairs with no problem. O_O;
Our room was at the very end, near the quarters that housed the Japanese guests. There was one room in between ours and another visitor, which is nice since the only thing between our room and the next was a shoji. XD;;
The room was very comfy looking with a few simple amenities. The only electrical appliances were a television, a heater, and a hot water boiler. Otherwise it was very similar to my stay at a temple in 2001. The futon were already laid out too.
On the table was some tea and kuri-manju. <333
We had quite a bit of time before dinner, so we decided to go check out part of Okunoin.
Okunoin is the largest and most sacred graveyard in Japan, said to be hallowed by the presence of Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. Many famous people are buried here, even up to the present age, due to their desire to be near Kobo Daishi. If you're a fan of Japan's warring states period - almost every famous daimyo is buried here. The gravesites will be in the next post. :)
Because it was raining and it was nearing dinnertime, we decided to save the majority of the exploration for the following day. We headed back to the temple and washed up for dinner.
Dinner consisted of Shojin ryori, the vegetarian meal of the Buddhist monks. In Buddhism you're typically supposed to avoid eating meat (well at least in Japanese Buddhism), so cooks make a great deal of use out of rice, tofu, beans, and fresh vegetables. Stocks are made strictly from konbu. It you're a vegetarian you'll find a delightful paradise of wonderful flavors that completely eclipses western vegetarianism. The monks have had hundreds of years to perfect this art, to the point that you'll completely forget you're eating a vegetarian meal because it tastes so good! There's even a 200 year old text from the Edo period covering more than 100 ways to cook tofu. *___*
If you hadn't noticed, I looove tofu! Even gomadofu (seasame tofu) which was included in our meal. XDD
After dinner was a late night bath and relaxation. By this time the rains were pounding really hard outside. Tomorrow was exploring Koyasan in the morning, then heading to Kyoto to visit my relatives. x_X;