Koyasan

August 30, 2015

Today was quite fun despite my car sicknessness and grey clouds. Last night, after spending a week at Miki doing an English camp for work, I got invited to go out to a get together that was held by another ALT working for the same company. I actually never hang out with people from work aside from Jacob and Becka. But I wanted to see what it was all about and wanted to be a bit social with work folk so I figured I give it a try. The night turned out to be pretty fun but I stayed out later than I intended. So this morning was a bit rough.

This morning, I got up early to head over to Junya's. We would be going to Koyasan today and would be going by car from his place. Koyasan is located in Wakayama which is south of Osaka prefecture. According to japan-guide.com, Mount Koya (高野山, Kōyasan) is the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important Buddhist sect which was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), one of Japan's most significant religious figures. A small, secluded temple town has developed around the sect's headquarters that Kobo Daishi built on Koyasan's wooded mountaintop. It is also the site of Kobo Daishi's mausoleum and the start and end point of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.

We wanted to go here because we had heard good things about it and the pictures looked really interesting too. Getting here though was tougher than I thought. I grew up in Texas. It is flat there are there are no such things as mountains. So whenever I find myself on a highway or road that is not so straight, my head really acts up. Being that we were on a mountain and the road was really narrow and had lots of turns, I was really not having a good time. Luckily, Junya didn't want to have my throwing up in the car so was considerate in his driving and also making a pit stop for me. The weather though was really nice and fresh on the mountain. Being in the city so much, it is nice sometimes to get out into nature.

Once we arrived and started to walk around, I felt a bit better. The weather was a drizzle and I was worried it was going to get worse. Luckily, we had umbrellas and even though we had patches of rain here and there, it didn't last all day.

I honestly couldn't tell you all the structures we went into. Names of traditional places kind of just blend together. But my favorite part of Koyasan was the really big cemetary. I know it sounds creepy and I'm the last person that would love being in a cemetary but this place was special. It is located on the way to get to Okunoin Temple. According to japan-guide.com, Okunoin is the site of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism and one of the most revered persons in the religious history of Japan. Instead of having died, Kobo Daishi is believed to rest in eternal meditation as he awaits Miroku Nyorai (Maihreya), the Buddha of the Future, and provides relief to those who ask for salvation in the meantime. Okunoin is one of the most sacred places in Japan and a popular pilgrimage spot. Before getting to the temple, there is a 2 kilometer stretch of cemetary that holds over 200,000 tombstones, the largest cemetary in Japan! You can tell this place is just centeries years old. Many of the tombstones have algae growth and some of the enscriptions are so old you can barely make out the words. The rows and rows of tombstones with their green and black coloring, combined with the mist from the weather made for a really eerie but magical feel to the place. Also the trees here were so large. It seemed like they were filled with spirits themselves too. I just really liked looking around wondering what this place has been through, who lay in the ground, and what times were like when this place first came up. I would of taken photos, because the photo oppurtunities were so good, but Junya told me its rude to take photos in a cemetary. It is considered a type of disrespect so I refrained.

When we got to the Okunoin Temple, it was clearly a very sacred place. We walked around a bit and it already being late in the day and the long drive ahead, we headed back shortly after the temple.

I really would like to go back to Koyasan in the winter. I just would love to see what the town and these places look like with snow and the cold temperature. Hopefully the second time around, getting there won't be so nausiating!




xx
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