Koyasan

Yesterday morning was the train ride to Koyasan. This took me from Kyoto to Osaka, and then a change to a different train line that goes into the mountains of the peninsula south of Osaka. It was interesting to watch the landscape change from dense urban where every station was a large, bustling hub of activity, to very remote mountainous where a station was just a platform. The last leg was a very steep cable car ride to the Koyasan area, and then a bus into town.

The town itself is small, full of temples. Most of the temples provide shukubo, or temple lodging for tourists. There is the main temple of Shingon Buddhism, and the sacred square of pagodas and halls called the Garan area. There is also a street of shops and restaurants. At the other end of town is Okunoin, a walk through a forest filled with huge cypress trees that are up to 600 years old, and over 200,000 grave markers. It leads to the mausolem for Kobo Daishi, who founded Koyasan in the 800s.

It is much colder here, and to walk around I had to put on a fleece under my jacket. The temperature drops below zero at night, and I've even seen a couple of patches of snow on the ground.

After walking through Okunoin I went to the temple where I am staying, to check in. I have a nice Japanese style room with tatami mats. Temple style vegetarian meals are served in my room. At 6:00am is a service to take part in.