Koyasan (Mount Koya)

My last destination in Japan is Koyasan (Mount Koya), which is south of Osaka. It is the center of Shingon Buddhism, a major school of Japanese Buddhism and one of the few surviving esoteric buddhist branches in the world. Shingon Buddhism was introduced in Japan by Kobo Daishi, a monk who lived from 774 to 835. He centered the religion in Koyasan, and hundreds of temples have been build in this area since then.

I chose Koyasan as my last stop to have some time to read, write and reflect. Also, I wanted to experience an overnight stay at a Buddhist temple lodging where I can get a taste of a monk's lifestyle, eating vegetarian monk's cuisine and attending the morning prayer. There are about 50 temples in Koyasan that offer this service to visitors and pilgrims. I stayed at the Ekoin temple.

Instead of taking the train to the final stop (includes a cable car ride for the last mile), I got off a few stations earlier and used one of the old pilgrimage trails connecting Koyasan to the outside world. The trail is marked by stone signposts, which stand every few hundred meters along the path. The hiking trail ends at the Daimon Gate that marks the traditional entrance to Koyasan.

The site of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi is called Okunoin. There is the belief that Kobo Daishi didn't actually pass away, but had entered an eternal mediation for the liberation of all beings. The area directly around the mausoleum is one of the most sacred places in Japan, and is also Japan's largest cemetery, which stretches for about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to the mausoleum including over 200,000 grave stones and monuments. All this is among hundreds of years old cedar trees. Amazing!

Koyasan is not a large town, but definitely rich in cultural sights. My approach was to explore the area by foot and thereby having a better chance of stumbling upon interesting places.

I stayed at guest house Kokuu for a few nights before moving to Ekoin temple. The owner Ryochi opened the place in 2012, and provides the only hostel type of accommodation in Koyasan.

My room at Ekoin was fantastic and the food exceptional (if you like vegetables). It definitely didn't feel like a simple monk's life. However, I recognized that this luxury is only offered to guests, and the monks themselves have a different (much simpler) life style.

The morning prayer in the main temple and fire ceremony were great experiences. It is interesting to see the differences in rituals and ceremonies between Buddhists and Christians. I would also like to attend a Muslim and Hindu prayer someday (the other two major world religions).

When I took a picture of a beautiful flower in the afternoon, I didn't expect that it will surprise me the next morning with showing its entire beauty.


It is in the moments of stillness when opportunities arise to think about life. I joined a meditation exercise at Ekoin, and it was very inspiring. The monk told us that meditation is not about thinking nothing, but being very conscious about the present moment. It sounds simpler than it is. Our mind constantly wants to wander around going away from the present to the past and future.

This is one of the greatest obstacles to live a more happy life in my opinion. There is only one moment that really counts: the here and now. However, past memories and future expectations are powerful forces, which often overtake our mind causing emotions (positive or negative), which hinder then to fully embrace the present moment. It is essential to learn to always accept a life situation as is, and take action if this is not what we want.

People are often busy getting to the future and thereby forgetting to live the actual moment they are in. There is a strong belief that the future is better than the present, but this can lead to a trap: waiting the entire life for a better life. It is actually a pretty stupid way of thinking, but unfortunately widely held.

I count myself to the group of over-thinkers, whose mind is often influenced by the past or future. Hence, my goal is to become more aware of the present moment. The monk said that everyone has the peace of mind, because this is how we were born, and meditation is one way to access this original state of mind.

Temples, shrines, museums and others

My last days have been dominated by Japanese history. I've spent time in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Osaka. Kyoto is the cultural Mecca of Japan. The city was Japan's capital for more than 1,000 years before it moved to Edo (renamed to Tokyo in 1868). Furthermore, Kyoto was spared from bombings in the Second World War. As a result, it still remains many original temples and shrines (about 2,000 across the city), which makes Kyoto a worthwhile destination for every traveller.

These places are fascinating, not only because of the buildings and gardens, but also how the environment such as the arrangement of mountains or other geographic features are integrated in the overall architecture. I have to admit that when I came to Japan, I didn't know the difference between temples and shrines. If you are in the same boat, check this article, it provides a good introduction.

At the Ryōan-ji temple, I was lucky that students from Kyoto University intercepted foreign visitors at the entrance to give them a tour in English. I had even three tour guides who explained me the temple highlights. Very interesting, thank you! This Zen temple is particularly known for its beautiful stone garden. The garden contains fifteen stones composed in five groups, but only fourteen can be seen when looking at the garden from any angle. It is said that only through attaining enlightenment one is able to view the fifteenth stone.

The Fushimi Inari shrine provides the ultimate torii gate experience. These traditional Japanese gates are only found at the entrance of Shinto shrines, and symbolize the transition from the profane to the sacred world. This shrine (Inari is the Shinto god of rice) has thousands of torii gates, and stretches into the forest of the sacred mountain Inari. There are many hiking trails lined with torri gates in the woods, and I did a fun hike to the summit of the mountain. You see fox statues everywhere as they are thought to be Inari's messengers.

From Kyoto, I did a day trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima, a small island near by Hiroshima. Standing at the place where the first of two atomic bombs in war exploded was depressing (Nagasaki is the second city). About 150,000 people lost their lifes in this horrific event, and many more suffered in the aftermath. I visited the museum dedicated to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and the suffering of the people at this time is unimaginable. The insanity that countries still possess weapons of mass destruction or pursue them is absolutely incomprehensible.

Miyajima is less than an hour away from Hiroshima. The island is most known for the giant torii gate, which seems to float on the water at high tide. It is a beautiful island accommodating many temples and shrines, and the surrounding area offers spectacular scenic views as well as great hiking trails. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough time to explore the island in more depth, because I wanted to go back to Kyoto that night.

Miho Museum is called the museum on the mountain, because it is literally in the mountains. I had to take a bus for 50 minutes from the closest train station. The museum was the dream of Mihoko Koyama, one of the wealthiest women in Japan, and opened in 1997. It mainly shows Mihoko's private collection of Asian and Western antiques including a standing statue of Siddhartha Gautama, or simply the Buddha. The way to the museum is pretty cool; it combines futuristic architecture with extensive natural surroundings.

Kyoto is also beautiful at night. I figured that I always discover the nicest places when I just wander around without having a destination. My last night in Kyoto I had dinner at a small restaurant serving tasty local cuisine. By accident, Patrick, a guy from the US living in San Francisco, had the same idea, and we had a fun evening with great talks (we didn't take a picture though, somehow forgot it).

Kyoto's train station is an impressive building. It is huge! Feels almost like an alien object in historical Kyoto. In general, life is happening in and around train stations in Japan. This seems to be the focal point for many shopping malls, restaurants and other stores. It makes sense, because almost everyone uses public transportation, and a striking number of people go through Japan's train stations every day. For example, Tokyo's Shinjuku station is used by approximately 3.5 million people per day. The busiest train station in the world.

Osaka was a positive surprise. I somehow didn't expect too much from the city. It doesn't have the mega-city image of Tokyo or the historical significance of Kyoto. However, I had a great (although short) time. Osaka's aquarium is one of the largest in the world, and shows habitats from the Ring of Fire area in the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire is associated with a 40,000 kilometer (25,000 miles) long belt including 75% of the world's active volcanoes, which surprisingly provides a very life friendly environment and habitat.

Osaka has a vibrant nightlife that is amazing! The Dotonbori area is unbelievable. It feels like it is a never-ending party zone. I was walking around absorbing the atmosphere, and had dinner at a Yakitori place. Yakitori is a Japanese type of skewered grilled chicken. I ate chicken thigh, skin, liver, heart, gizzard and tail, and drank beer and sake. Great dinner! Also, I listened to some street musicians randomly playing in the neighborhood. 

In Osaka, I stayed at a so-called capsule hotel that provides cheap overnight accommodation in small rooms with no-frills. However, the Osaka capsule hotel was luxury compared to my capsule "room" in Tokyo (for almost the same price). In my opinion, these hotels are great and offer exactly what I need - an affordable place to sleep. Furthermore, they are organized very efficiently, and it is fascinating to see how hundreds of people are quickly getting ready in the morning using the large bath rooms (also many business people use capsule hotels).