Koyasan

After almost 3 weeks in big Japanese cities it was time to explore the rural side of Japan. The cities here are fascinating , buzzing , vibrant and also draining. Having a break from all that agitation is always good for the soul. Just to simply reconnect with nature and wiht yourself. I think I needed that and I have found a place that would be perfect. Let’s go to the sacred mountain of Koyasan. A highly spiritual place in Japan.

From Osaka you must take a train. Which took about 2h. The views were nice. To see that transition in landscapes from the train window was sweet. The more the train was going the less buildings we could see. And the more I was smiling. It becamed more and more quiet at each station. To then become completely silent. Wow this feels different already.

After the train you take a cable car which is about 10 min.

After the cable car  add 10 more minutes of bus and there you are. In the heart of Koyasan.

Welcome to Koyasan. A small town in the mountains full of buddhist monasteries. Koyasan was created in 816. There is a lot of history here and you can really feel it. A must go place is the Okuno in , a picturesque cemetery with thousands of tomb covered by moss. A special place , more on that later.

The entrance of a monastery. There is a lot of them in Koyasan.

The autumn colors were fantastic.

Totoro even made it here. The magic of Ghibli and the magic of this town blend well together.

The famous thing tourists will do in Koyasan is Temple Lodging also called “Shukubo”. You can basically experience monks lifetstyle for one night and one morning. I went for the Daein In Shukubo , which was beautiful. You have to make booking in advance , prices range from 60 to 300 euro. If you want a nicer place you have to pay the price. It might seems expensive at first but you get diner and breakfast included , all in a wonderful and unique place. You live with the monks for a fews hours. It’s a cool experience.

My room. All in a traditional Japanese style.

The view from the room. It was a beautiful monastery and well preserved too.
Time for an early diner.
This is a typical Japanese Buddhist meal. It’s called Shojin Ryori. An all vegan diner with many small plates. It’s always an experience to try all theses foods. The colors , flavors and textures are very different to what we are used to. It was very good and so healthy.

I have met many cool foreigners and Japaneses people during my stay in Daein In. This one also have a hot public path . Another great place to chill and to meet new people. Remember Japanese bath is all naked. I actually enjoy theses bath ^^ it makes sense to me. No clooths also mean no protections. You really feel at ease without the superficial extra layers. We then decided to explore the nearby mystical cemetery , the Okuno in.

I didn’t had the chance to visit it during the day. It supposed to be georgous but a night it was mystical. So quiet and strange. Some pictures.

This place had a profound vibration. There is no word to describe it. Somehow you feel the time being stopped. All theses old tombs are talking to us. I enjoyed that night walk. The main path goes for more than a hour , to give you an idea of how big it is.

Back to the monastery for a long and heavy sleep. Well not that long , a meditation take place at 5h50 am in the main hall. The morning was difficult but the experience was worth it. You can assist to a morning ceremony with chanting. It was an original way to wake up with theses monks singing some buddhist mantras. It felt profound and mystical. You will get a breakfast afterward.

Koyasan was a short experience but it was mystical and healing. It’s not easy to understand the essence of this place. As tourists we would only see what our eyes will allows us to see. Bu still , you can feel stuff. Emotions goes beyond than words. How nice it feels to reconnect with the nature and the spiritual side of life. Nearby Koyasan you will find the famous “Kumano Kodo” hiking trail. An old pilgrimage route that goes throught the mountains of the Wakayama prefecture. This is my next stop. Time to do some hiking and to get lost in the Japanese nature.

See you for the next adventure. Take care people .

I get it / I see
Naruhodo なるほど