Koyasan is a place established by a monk who is deeply loved; you can find a lot of temples and some of them accept tourists for overnight stay. The stay is not simply a sleep, but you have dinner (ours was served at 5.30 and you are told that the dinner will be served at 5.30); then you have breakfast (ours was at 7.30am); the temple gate closes at 10pm so you should be back by then! The “shower” which is more a Japanese style bathing which is something as a shower and a bath) is open between 4pm and 10pm! And the Morning Prayer is at 6.30 am, they come to get you and you are supposed to attend (an hour or longer Buddhist ceremony).
Offnore, apparently, more than 70% of all tourists visiting Koyasan are foreigners. Out of those foreigners, at least 50% are French. No clue how the French know where to go, but they have taste. There were also a lot of Israeli. From now on, I’ll be following the French destination recommendations J
Our room was cute Japanese, carpet, sliding doors and… on the other side were 2 chairs and a table, another set of glass sliding doors and a view of stones and water – so surreal that it makes you closer to the nature and zen (and yet being far from Zen)! Toilet and sinks were shared with some other people but hey it is what it is – you are in a Buddhist temple and you are served by monks as unique as this may be! Naturally, you take your shoes off before entering the building, put slippers and when you go to the toilet, you take the normal slippers and put the toilet slippers (that’s no joke – in the toilet, you enter with slippers that are only for the toilet!).
And as it usually is, the step after leaving the luggage in the hotel/temple is the sightseeing and some coffee. Well, there was a coffee house… where a Japanese man and a French woman were the owners or managers and they had a cute little girl who was communicating in French with her mom and in Japanese with her dad. The cakes that we were served were not too sweet and perfect (I would add French style). The atmosphere – unique (again!).
The sights that we visited were the Kongobuji temple (it consists of rooms telling the story and the life of Kobo Daishi (Kukai) who established the Koyasan); the Tokugwa mausolea – nothing impressive – 2 mausoleum buildings that you can see from outside; The Danjo Garan is a complex with temples and shrines along with a small park and a small lake that include Kondo, Miedo, Konpon Daito, Fudodo, and Saito – Toto. All of those special buildings have long history and date from different periods especially when it comes to restoring.
At the end we gave our Shinto books to the calligraphers to write something inside and the guy who was talking to us was unbelievably nice and was speaking English, so he even wrote our names on the cover and wrote something on the cover of my book! And if I knew what I would have been fluent in Japanese but since I’m not – it looks sophisticated, that’s what I can say.
Then came the dinner.. we arrived shortly before 5.30 and the phone rang with the question whether they can come and serve the dinner.. It was served on 4 special trays on the floor. All vegetarian and Buddhist. I would say that this was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had in Japan! We even had warm sake. And imagine, the dinner in the room with sliding glass doors looking at stone garden and tiny tiny pond… Another dimension!
After dinner, we joined one of the monks (who was even speaking English) for a walk to the Okunoin Gobyo where Kukai’s mausoleum is. The walk was 1.9km one way. It was after 7pm. It was dark. And probably 1.7km of all this distance was in a graveyard, with a few lanterns; with cypress trees (which stop each light even if there was any light coming from the sky); a perfect set for a horror movie!
There were some places with no light what so ever. The monk was using light but it was quite weak. And we were a group but there were people wondering around alone! And my guide even suggests that you should go and visit the place in night…
The monk was telling us stories about the history and Buddhism but let me tell you two of most memorable ones. There was a well and according to the people, if you look in it and cannot see your reflection, you will die in 3 years… later there were some stairs and again, if you slip or fall (which is not difficult at all considering that it was slippery and dead dark), then… you will die in 3 years!
After the third bridge – no pictures allowed and this is when I simply asked what is the reason that in Japan pictures are banned in most temples and a lot of places. The answer was vague like “Well, probably rights” and I said that this is nowhere but Japan and the monk’s simple and short answer said it all: “yes, but we are Japan”. Not that I didn’t know it but when I was told this with such sincerity, makes me feel re-assured that Japan is one of a kind.
At one place, which was like a cage with a stone and a shelf in, you have to take the stone and try to put it on the shelf. Apparently, if you have a lot of sins, the stone is getting heavier, and if you have less, the stone is getting lighter and it is easier to place it on the shelf. The wisdom is that we all should be aware of our actions and sins. Plus, if you cannot pick up the stone and place it – you are full of sins (and it is tough – not that I tried – but it is a cage and the walls are like chess). Although, I think that if you do not succeed, you should be more regular in the gym; and let’s not neglect the gender focus here again (because we are in Japan) and the fact that the stone will be lighter for the males… I’m lacking some spirituality I guess.
After the return to the temple, it was time to bed.. I skipped the common and shared bath because it is not my taste at all. The brilliant moment was that there was a bug in our room that was flying and just the sound was disturbing. The futon/tatami on the floor was very convenient but sleeping at 10.30 in the evening is so not me that it was tough.
But then came the morning and the 6.30 prayer – and it is no joke. The first part was in a temple where 2 monks were singing (very monotonous melodies) and a drum was hit a few times. We were all sitting on the floor (as you can imagine). When this part was over (after 7), we had to move to another part of the temple where the service was particularly impressive because one of the monk was lighting a fire in a special way and throwing some essences in it. Impressive and magnificent! You have to see it!
Breakfast was served again in the room – our first Japanese style breakfast. My assessment – not my cup of tea. Pretty much what you eat for lunch and dinner.
The next day was the Daimon and the Reihokan museim. Nothing particular. The moment of the day was that it was raining, more like showers or sprinkles but unpleasant; we were with the backpacks since the suitcases we sent with something like a post which is hotel to hotel and didn’t bother carrying to the mountain. We did a lot of walking before taking the bus, then the funicular, then the train to Osaka, followed by a subway, and a fast train shinkansen that delivered us to our next Japanese destination – Hiroshima.
Offnore, apparently, more than 70% of all tourists visiting Koyasan are foreigners. Out of those foreigners, at least 50% are French. No clue how the French know where to go, but they have taste. There were also a lot of Israeli. From now on, I’ll be following the French destination recommendations J
Our room was cute Japanese, carpet, sliding doors and… on the other side were 2 chairs and a table, another set of glass sliding doors and a view of stones and water – so surreal that it makes you closer to the nature and zen (and yet being far from Zen)! Toilet and sinks were shared with some other people but hey it is what it is – you are in a Buddhist temple and you are served by monks as unique as this may be! Naturally, you take your shoes off before entering the building, put slippers and when you go to the toilet, you take the normal slippers and put the toilet slippers (that’s no joke – in the toilet, you enter with slippers that are only for the toilet!).
And as it usually is, the step after leaving the luggage in the hotel/temple is the sightseeing and some coffee. Well, there was a coffee house… where a Japanese man and a French woman were the owners or managers and they had a cute little girl who was communicating in French with her mom and in Japanese with her dad. The cakes that we were served were not too sweet and perfect (I would add French style). The atmosphere – unique (again!).
The sights that we visited were the Kongobuji temple (it consists of rooms telling the story and the life of Kobo Daishi (Kukai) who established the Koyasan); the Tokugwa mausolea – nothing impressive – 2 mausoleum buildings that you can see from outside; The Danjo Garan is a complex with temples and shrines along with a small park and a small lake that include Kondo, Miedo, Konpon Daito, Fudodo, and Saito – Toto. All of those special buildings have long history and date from different periods especially when it comes to restoring.
At the end we gave our Shinto books to the calligraphers to write something inside and the guy who was talking to us was unbelievably nice and was speaking English, so he even wrote our names on the cover and wrote something on the cover of my book! And if I knew what I would have been fluent in Japanese but since I’m not – it looks sophisticated, that’s what I can say.
Then came the dinner.. we arrived shortly before 5.30 and the phone rang with the question whether they can come and serve the dinner.. It was served on 4 special trays on the floor. All vegetarian and Buddhist. I would say that this was one of the most delicious meals I’ve had in Japan! We even had warm sake. And imagine, the dinner in the room with sliding glass doors looking at stone garden and tiny tiny pond… Another dimension!
After dinner, we joined one of the monks (who was even speaking English) for a walk to the Okunoin Gobyo where Kukai’s mausoleum is. The walk was 1.9km one way. It was after 7pm. It was dark. And probably 1.7km of all this distance was in a graveyard, with a few lanterns; with cypress trees (which stop each light even if there was any light coming from the sky); a perfect set for a horror movie!
There were some places with no light what so ever. The monk was using light but it was quite weak. And we were a group but there were people wondering around alone! And my guide even suggests that you should go and visit the place in night…
The monk was telling us stories about the history and Buddhism but let me tell you two of most memorable ones. There was a well and according to the people, if you look in it and cannot see your reflection, you will die in 3 years… later there were some stairs and again, if you slip or fall (which is not difficult at all considering that it was slippery and dead dark), then… you will die in 3 years!
After the third bridge – no pictures allowed and this is when I simply asked what is the reason that in Japan pictures are banned in most temples and a lot of places. The answer was vague like “Well, probably rights” and I said that this is nowhere but Japan and the monk’s simple and short answer said it all: “yes, but we are Japan”. Not that I didn’t know it but when I was told this with such sincerity, makes me feel re-assured that Japan is one of a kind.
At one place, which was like a cage with a stone and a shelf in, you have to take the stone and try to put it on the shelf. Apparently, if you have a lot of sins, the stone is getting heavier, and if you have less, the stone is getting lighter and it is easier to place it on the shelf. The wisdom is that we all should be aware of our actions and sins. Plus, if you cannot pick up the stone and place it – you are full of sins (and it is tough – not that I tried – but it is a cage and the walls are like chess). Although, I think that if you do not succeed, you should be more regular in the gym; and let’s not neglect the gender focus here again (because we are in Japan) and the fact that the stone will be lighter for the males… I’m lacking some spirituality I guess.
After the return to the temple, it was time to bed.. I skipped the common and shared bath because it is not my taste at all. The brilliant moment was that there was a bug in our room that was flying and just the sound was disturbing. The futon/tatami on the floor was very convenient but sleeping at 10.30 in the evening is so not me that it was tough.
But then came the morning and the 6.30 prayer – and it is no joke. The first part was in a temple where 2 monks were singing (very monotonous melodies) and a drum was hit a few times. We were all sitting on the floor (as you can imagine). When this part was over (after 7), we had to move to another part of the temple where the service was particularly impressive because one of the monk was lighting a fire in a special way and throwing some essences in it. Impressive and magnificent! You have to see it!
Breakfast was served again in the room – our first Japanese style breakfast. My assessment – not my cup of tea. Pretty much what you eat for lunch and dinner.
The next day was the Daimon and the Reihokan museim. Nothing particular. The moment of the day was that it was raining, more like showers or sprinkles but unpleasant; we were with the backpacks since the suitcases we sent with something like a post which is hotel to hotel and didn’t bother carrying to the mountain. We did a lot of walking before taking the bus, then the funicular, then the train to Osaka, followed by a subway, and a fast train shinkansen that delivered us to our next Japanese destination – Hiroshima.
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