Into the mountains

As a sea-level type of girl, I am easily impressed by mountains. They seem so majestic and important as they rise from the ground. The views are always spectacular, and the air is clear and crisp. Taking advantage of another long weekend, I decided to make my way to Koyasan (高野山).

Koyasan is located in Wakayama prefecture, about two hours from Osaka. The name actually doesn't refer to a single mountain, but rather a basin area located between 8 different mountains. The trip there seemed to take a long time, perhaps because there were multiple steps involved. I first took a train, then switched to a cable car, and finally to a bus.

Bad picture taken from a moving train. But, oooooo. Mountains.

For the last 40 minutes of the train ride, the tracks sloped gently upward, carrying the train into higher elevation. Then at last, I transferred from the train to the cable car, which took 5 minutes and brought me to my final altitude of 867m (2,844 feet)!

View from the cable car. So steep!

I walked around town, viewing some of the many temples and sites. Dozens of temples line the streets; many of them offer guest accommodations complete with authentic buddhist meals and early morning services. But alas, they are also quite expensive so I just got to take pictures from the road.

Daimon, the original entrance to the Koyasan area.

Konpon Daito. So pretty!

I forgot what this one was called.

If only that branch would get out of the way, this would be a good picture! :P

I stopped for a snack along the way. This is a grilled/roasted mochi
filled with red beans. The grilling gave the mochi more of a chew. It
was delicious!

One great attraction of Koyasan is the Okuno-in area, Surrounded by a vast cedar forest, this cemetery/holy spot is where the Buddist Kobo Daishi Kukai is said to be in eternal meditation. The graves/shrines in this forest numbers into the hundreds of thousands, the old ones covered with moss. It was breathtakingly beautiful and haunting; just like walking into another world.

Stepping back in time...

What do these little aprons mean?!?

Little paths branched out here and there, leading to
long-forgotten shrines

This place would probably be creepy at night!

The cedar trees were enormous and amazing

I'll have to google why they put clothes on these statues, and place 1 yen
coins on them.

Deep within the forest, in an area considered very sacred, lies the Gobyo Mausoleum. No pictures were allowed, so I only got a snapshot from afar.

Crossing the bridge

With the mountain chill, chanting monks, and incense-filled air, there was a surreal feeling to this place. I took my time and browsed through; it was truly a relaxing and peaceful way to spend the afternoon!

With my spirit recharged, I headed to my accommodations for the night. I found a lovely small guest house on Koyasan, with little capsule rooms for rent. After walking around for the whole day, I was glad to get off my feet!

Koyasan Gueshouse Kokuu!

While small, the interior was surprisingly comfortable and airy. There were 8 capsules and 3 regular rooms, shared toilet/shower facilities, and a public area/kitchen.

Inside of guesthouse

My capsule. It was surprisingly cozy, and outfitted with a really soft and
comfortable mattress. Aaaahhhh! A bed! Unfortunately I didn't sleep as
well as anticipated... perhaps due to the altitude!

I had a great time at the guesthouse. The proprietress is an amazing cook, so I had dinner there instead of venturing out. A few other guests were also around; there was a lady from Montana who is a school counselor down in Okinawa, and a German guy doing the Shikoku Pilgrimage (750 miles?!?! Nuts!). We had a lovely evening exchanging stories.

I awoke the next morning to the smell of freshly baking bread. What a great start to the day!

My breakfast!

After a leisurely breakfast, I took advantage of the clear morning and walked around the Okuno-in area for a few more hours. Finally, I headed back to the real world though... and to the typhoon that is currently headed towards Osaka! What a great trip; I truly felt as if I had gone back in time!

Back down the mountain...

Kyoto Day Trip

Six months in Japan, and I haven't made it to Kyoto yet?! I decided to remedy that this weekend, and set out for a short trip.

Kyoto is actually really close to Osaka; from my place (which is south of city center), the entire trip only took about an hour and a half. The train ride was comfortable and easy; only one transfer needed!

Because this was a short day trip, I decided to take it easy and only pick a couple things to do. After all, I can (and will) return! With that in mind, my first destination was Fushimi Inari Taisha, a shrine famous for its thousands of red gates.

Gorgeous day to sightsee!

I felt like I was walking in my sister's footsteps... after all, she had visited about 6 months ago! Her photos do the beautiful scenery MUCH more justice than my ancient point-and-shoot ever could though!

This was a holiday weekend in Japan, so the shrine was understandably mobbed. At the bottom of the mountain, there were crowds of people, all trekking through the gates. Luckily, as I climbed, the crowd thinned out.

Look at all the people!

After a half hour, there were a lot less people!

I was warned by my sister that the public map was misleading. Indeed, it seemed like I was making great pace one moment, but then slowed to a complete crawl. After 45 minutes, I was only halfway up!

Beautiful view, halfway up the mountain

I'm sad to say that I didn't make it all the way to the top. It was lunchtime, and I was hungry! As I headed down though, I overheard a group of HK tourists comment that it actually wasn't too far of a hike to the top; the map was severely NOT to scale. Oh well... maybe next time...?

Oh to be like the cat... naptime is the most peaceful thing!

Interestingly enough, although the uphill walk seemed mild, making my way down absolutely KILLED my calves. :P

After a quick convenience store lunch break, I spent the afternoon walking around the Gion district. There was a lot to see, and many tempting things to buy. Beautiful shops with handmade goods and pretty storefronts (decorated tastefully like the most upscale French chocolatiers) selling pickles... all existed in conjunction with huge modern department stores.

Passing by the Yasaka Shrine

Gorgeous park!

Gion district during the day. Most shops were closed, so there wasn't much
to see. It was MUCH prettier at night. Unfortunately, my camera's
night-time photos are so bad that I can't possibly post anything!

Rats; I forgot the name of this. I think it's the Kenninji Zen Temple? It
 cost money to go into the grounds, so I just walked around the perimeter

Kyoto is a pretty city; the old and new co-exist together harmoniously. I have only seen a small slice of what it has to offer... I shall return again!

Nara Adventure

Yayyy it's Golden Week! Golden Week is a series of national holidays that are closely dated together in Japan. Workers often string a couple vacation days in between to make a continuous one week holiday. Lucky for me, the school is closed for the whole duration so I naturally get the whole week off!

In addition to some much needed rest and relaxation, I want to explore a little more of Japan this week. So today, I decided to head over to the city of Nara, located about an hour away via train from Osaka. It was once upon a time the capital city of Japan, so it's an interesting and old city to explore. I found an easy and not too strenuous walking tour to follow, and set out for a day adventure!

The walking tour led me to Nara-koen, a large park that contains a handful of temples and shrines that are surrounded by peaceful woods. Nara-koen is also home to a LARGE population of deer, which I completely underestimated upon my arrival.

When I arrived in Nara, I saw a deer behind a fence. Oh cool, I thought.
I hurried over to take a picture. Little did I know...

Hmmmm. Warnings...?

And so I sat down on an empty bench to eat my lunch (rice balls from 7-11, of course) before heading up to the temples and shrines. I'm just sitting there, enjoying the scenery, when I feel a surprising nuzzle on my back. Aaaarrrrrghhhh! I jumped up to see this behind me:

Up close and personal!

They have no fear!!! After this one decided that I had no food on me, a male deer walked up too and stuck his head inside my backpack. When I took that away, he looked at me with an almost-contemptuous look and peed (luckily on the ground, not on any of my possessions)!

After that hilarious but not-appetizing scenario, I continued walking up towards the temples and shrines area. Along the way, there were various carts selling cookies that tourists can buy to feed the deer. And amazingly, the deer were tame enough to just be hanging around waiting for their food.

Yes, they were EVERYWHERE!

I figured the deer were pretty well-fed already, so didn't buy any cookies.

Human snacks. It's cute how most of them have a deer motif.

After I got used to seeing random deer around, it was pretty cool to have them as part of the ambiance as I viewed all the impressive sights.

Part of the walk was through soothing, damp and lovely woods.

The really impressively large Nandai-mon, main gate leading to the
Todai-ji temple.

View of Nandai-mon as I passed below. See, it is HUGE!

Todai-ji temple. It is the largest wooden structure in the world.

Shoro Belfry (see the large bell in the middle?). It
would be so cool to see that being rung!

Entrance to Kasuga Taisha. The stone lanterns gave the space a really
dramatic old-world feel.

Side of a building at Kasuga Taisha. So pretty!

Ferocious dragon guarding the water basin

Yes, that is a deer going up the temple steps on the
left-hand side. 

Kofuku-ji pagoda

I had a lovely time walking around today. Nara-koen was so pretty and peaceful, even with the Golden Week crowd!

Sumiyoshi-taisha Shrine

On this particularly nice and mild Spring day, I decided to spend some time outdoors. A quick internet search led me to one of the oldest shrines in the region: Sumiyoshi-taisha, located only a short train ride away. Whee; let's go! Wikipedia tells me that this was founded back in the year 211 (although most of the buildings were re-built back in the 1800s). Free of Buddhist influence, the architecture here is supposed to be quite unique. This shrine is popular with local visitors around New Year's, and this sprawling complex houses not only four main sumiyoshi shrines, but multiple smaller ones as well.

Entrance to the shrine area

Before entering, visitors first have to go over a very steep bridge. It's quite beautiful and dramatic looking!

Definitely should hold on to the sides for safety!

So steep!

Once visitors make it over the bridge, there is a small fountain of water. As part of a purification ritual, you're supposed to rinse your hands, then take some water in your mouth and spit it out on the side. I saw some foreign tourists doing that, but I wasn't sure about the cleanliness of the water. So I just rinsed my hands.

The water was cool and refreshing.

Finally ready to enter!

There are four main shrines, and they are supposed to help protect fishermen and sailors. There are also a handful of smaller shrines, each dedicated to some form of success in business, or family.

To pay respects, put the offering in the box, ring the bell, bow twice,
clap your hands twice, and bow again.

I wonder if this little doggie is supposed to be
protecting the shrine he's in front of, or if he's the
deity of the shrine?!

Pretty sure this shrine is for motherhood. Maybe fertility?

Good luck cats! Available with right OR left paw raised.

Another shrine

Lots of wishes! I think this bunch was in front of a shrine for
scholarship; I saw a lot of "I hope I pass!" type wishes written.

What are these people looking for?

So... I'm supposed to find three rocks with words written on them?

Here they are! I wasn't sure about the procedure (something about putting
them into a pouch after making a wish?)... so I just threw the pebbles
back behind the fence.

It was so peaceful to walk slowly through the area, and fun to learn a little bit of history while taking in some beautiful scenery!