After a restless night, people snoring, packing during the night, etc, it was my turn to wake up early and even a few minutes before the alarm went of. I packed everything and I double checked if I hadn’t left anything behind, and back to the train station! It was time to visit Koyasan, in the middle of the mountains!
How to get to Koyasan from Nara
Looking to the map, it is normal to think that the best way to get to Koyasan from Nara is a straight line, but it isn’t. Osaka is kind of the hub of the area, the best way to go anywhere around is passing through Osaka. I took the JR train to Osaka Shin-Imamiya, and from there the train to Gokurakubashi (the base that connects to Koyasan). The JR Pass is not valid on this route, you’ll have to buy your ticket, and it’s worth to buy the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket, that covers the train, cable car, bus and several temples and museums. One ticket, less hassle.
The world is tiny, and gets smaller when you are a tourist. By chance, I met with Jorge (the CS guy) again at Shin-Imamiya train station, we were really next to each other when I looked to the guy next to me and I recognized him! We immediately start chatting, and after a while a very nice old Japanese man joined our conversation, obviously in English. He traveled to Europe a few times and was really comfortable speaking in English, a very pleasant surprise in Japan.
On our way there, at some point, we had to change to another part of the train. That was the part where the mountain train starts, next to each station you see the station’s altitude and the ones right before and after. We were lucky because that nice man explained us every thing about our trip to the top, it wasn’t just a regular train ride!
Exploring Koyasan
At the arrival we said goodbye to the Japanese guy, his name’s Katsumi, and we went directly to the temple to do the check-in. In a very funny way I got threatened, the doors close at 9pm or I would be left outside. They doors close at 9pm sharp, and most temples are not flexible with it, though a few others are. Considering that there was another typhoon alert, it wasn’t the best option to sleep outside, I guess.
Garan Complex
The main buildings of the Garan are the Kondo Hall and the Konpon Daito Pagoda, the first one is quite recent since it burned down a few times over the centuries, the last reconstruction dates from early 1930’s. We walked around that area, but we didn’t get inside any temple, though I totally regret not visiting the Pagoda. According to what I read and I’ve been told, it is a must visit place! And it is included within the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket.
Since one of the main attractions is the more than one thousand years old graveyard, and that’s right outside the town, we went for an early lunch on our way to the graveyard, and right after our lunch we met again with Katsumi. I couldn’t ask for a better guide, a very interesting person, passionate about Koyasan and the area and with knowledge about the places we visited.
A stop at Karukayado
On our way to the graveyard, Katsumi recommended us to visit this museum about a tragic story (or legend) that happened in Koyasan. Sadly there is very few information in English about the story and the museum.
Summarizing it a bit, it is the story about a father that never knew he had a son, until his son looked for him in Koyasan with his mother. Though, by then, Mount Koya was a place restricted to women therefore she wasn’t authorized to climb the mount and see and recognize her former lover. Though the son could go up.
There he met his father, whom swore to give up of all his former life when he joined the monastery, and therefore he couldn’t tell his son who he really was, so told him that his father died instead. The son went to the bottom of the mount to tell that to his mother, but when he got he found out that she got really sick and died, so he became an orphan.
Without father nor mother, he decided to join the monastery, and so he spent 40 years of his life next to his father unknowing who he really was. I totally recommend a visit to this place, it tells a lot about Koyasan, I am not sure if this is a tale or a real story, but it is a very famous story in Koyasan.
Visiting the Okunoin Graveyard
It sounds odd when I tell someone I spend a full afternoon at a graveyard taking photos. Sounds even more odd when I say that I went to a remote place mostly because of that same graveyard, but yeah, that’s what happened!
What is so special about this graveyard?
Not just that it is a graveyard with a few centuries old, but also that is where are buried several Japanese feudal lords, monks and some lesser people. But even more important than all of that, it is in that same graveyard where the Okunoin Temple is, where Kobo Daishi rests, the founder of the Shingon Buddhism. And again, I am really glad I met Katsumi, otherwise I would read most of these information afterwards and I wouldn’t appreciate the site properly.
Note that I said that Kobo Daishi rests, the monks and the other believers believe that he is not dead, he is in eternal meditation waiting for a future Buddha. And to pray there next to the monks, one has to pay a good amount of money, or should just pray a bit further. It is odd that even Buddhist temples charge big amounts of money for these things. Until then I wrongly assumed that Buddhism is a very non materialistic religion. The same applies for the accommodation, which was overpriced for what got, I like to think I paid for the experience instead…
Katsumi, the Japanese man we met, was the perfect guide and at some point I felt closer to his opinions. He gave us a very detailed tour and with a bit of irony on what regards religion. As an atheist I noticed that and I ended up asking his opinion, he is agnostic and he agrees that over charging the way they do it is almost like a sin. Yes, they need fundings, but Koyasan is a very touristic place and that’s almost pornographic values.
I think we can “divide” the graveyard in two parts, the old and the new. The new part shows a lot about corporate Japanese culture, at first it was odd to see several corporative graves, some very well-known companies. In Japan an employee is not just a number for the paycheck, an employee is part of the big family that the company is, hence the graves. They are buried as family. Still, I wouldn’t like to see a corporate logo on my grave…
Back to Koyasan town
When I say that the graveyard is indeed very beautiful, I mean it and not as a creepy way. It is indeed a very mystical place totally worth seeing. Several guides also recommend to do a tour at night, which I also tried… Well, it was time to go back to town, and to say goodbye to Katsumi that was going back home.
We walked a bit trying to find a restaurant and we ended up eating at a very cozy place. Since Jorge had to take the last cable car and train back to Osaka, we just went for a small walk around the graveyard after sunset. But the rain didn’t help much, also the typhoon alert for that night was not much encouraging to be there alone, and adding to all of that, several signs warning about bears at night…
I have to say, it was really cool at night, though for night shootings I like to take my time and even if no one rushes me. I always have that awful feeling that someone is getting bored because of me. So we did a not so long walk back to the bus stop. After that I considered going back alone to the graveyard, but the rain was getting stronger, so I decided not to take a chance in forgetting the time and being left outside the temple and I went back.
At the temple / hotel
Checking-in, and the first thing I noticed was that my room was the number four, which is odd considering the japanese superstition for the number four. Probably that’s why they assigned an european to that room… After unpacking some of my stuff, I went for a relaxing bath at the onsen, and again, very disappointed. The name of the temple is advertised as Koyasan Onsen Fukuchiin, I got really disappointed. The onsen is nothing special at all, quite small, smaller than the one I tried in Kurashiki, and I was expecting an exterior onsen, but nope… Well, it was very relaxing after a full day walking, so, I am not complaining (much).
After my relaxing bath, I went back to my bedroom and I found the futon already placed. Another detail about the temple, you can’t close your bedroom’s door from outside… I had to trust no one would take any of my stuff. So, after reading I went to sleep, I had my breakfast scheduled in advance for 7:30, so, another early wake up.
I honestly meant to wake up to see the monks praying, but instead I went to the onsen again and I spent way too long there, I walked a bit through the small gardens, which are really beautiful, and then it was time to pack again. They were nice and they kept my stuff for a few hours, so I could go for another walk around Koyasan before going to Osaka, and getting lost somewhere already outside Koyasan (and with a lot of signs warning about the bears…). I really liked that place, a shame I didn’t stay longer…
Last few hours in Koyasan
My initial plan for my last day in Koyasan? Wake up really early and go and see the monks praying.
What have I done instead? I woke up really early (for my usual time), and I went to the onsen one last time!
I feel like I haven’t appreciate properly the pleasures of a good onsen, actually, I think I only tried the not so good ones. But waking up early, and having a very nice and long relaxing bath it was really a boost for my day humor. Yes, I was on vacations on a very awesome and special place, it would be strange not to be with a good mood. But that relaxing way to wake up is something we miss in Europe!
And after that relaxing experience, I had an even more intense one when I got back to my bedroom. I had already my bedroom ready for the breakfast! I sat and waited for the feast, and what a feast… a superb vegan breakfast! Yes, vegan! And yes, superb! Some things I have no idea what they were, some of them I mixed on my own way, but every single combination was like an explosion of flavors! So good! Maybe that paid off on the accommodation’s price after all…
I had a few hours until I had to go back to “civilization”. Initially I meant to stay the full day in Koyasan, but the weather wasn’t much inviting to stay, so I did a walk towards the forest following the very basic map I had. At some point I think I was lost, but I was indeed somewhere inside a forest, though following a national road with several signs saying “be aware of the bears” and “don’t walk alone“. I didn’t care much, I was going through the road so I assumed it wouldn’t be of a big danger anyway, but the rain… It reminded me home, oh Ireland…
I spent a few hours lost, so I decided to go back to town and do a walk before taking the bus to the cable car, and going to Osaka. Again, the same astonishing route through the mountains, until I had to change trains again I think I didn’t even sit just to admire the view.
On my way from Koyasan to Osaka
At some point, maybe near Nara I am not sure now, the train was already a bit packed and a guy sat in front of me. He definitely was a foreigner like me and he smiled at me which I assumed we met before. I said hi and that started a very pleasant conversation. He is an Australian guy who was in Osaka studying Japanese just because. And also because he had 3 months of paid vacations that he decided to use as a learning experience which I think it is just an awesome idea! Another travel friend, another random person I met while traveling. I am sure that the chances to meet random people like this are higher when we travel alone, we are more willing to meet people and not close ourselves within a circle of friends.
Arriving in Osaka, I got into the wrong train. I mean, the wrong direction, but thankfully that was a circular line so I ended up going to the right place without having to chance again. Too early to check-in, just dropped the luggage and I went for a walk.
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