The first half of the day was spent traveling from Kyoto Station to Koyasan. We made a stop for a quick lunch in Osaka, but it was just ramen from a 7-Eleven. Not bad though. I scarfed that down just as the train arrived, and we were off.

Koyasan is a town built atop(?) Mt. Koya. It is comprised mostly of Buddhist temples, and is considered to be one of the holiest places in Japan. It is also the home to the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.

What’s cool about the town is that you can not only visit temples, but actually spend the night inside and observe the monks perform their morning prayers.

When we arrived, I checked in at Komyo-in.

A kind monk showed me to my room, and brought along hot water to make tea with.

I have noticed that, in Japan, outdoor shoes are for outside. Slippers are for walking inside. Bathroom slippers are for bathrooms. That was no exception at the temple.

I went for a walk around the temple grounds to take some pictures.

Dinner was set for 6pm. Bathing time is 5-9pm. I had time to get out for a walk around the area before that, so I set out again.

As you will see, there were a lot of leaves changing at this higher elevation, and I got a little excited with my picture-taking.

At the end of the road was the entrance to Okunoin, which is a cemetary nestled among some an impressive old growth forest (150-600 year old trees).

Beautiful area! As we walked further, there were also some very surprising monuments, like the one below.

I read afterwards that, since many people devote their lives to their companies in Japan, the companies often build monuments to honor their dead employees.

After enjoying the fall colors and the walk through the cemetery, it started to get chilly and it was time to return for dinner.

When I got back to my temple, I found my way to the shower area. Many places in Japan have sit-down showers.

Much to my surprise, and delight, there was also an onsen (hot tub). I spent a good 30 minutes relaxing.

As it turns out, this was truly MY temple. I was the only guest for the night, so I had the entire place to myself… my room, the onsen, a private dining room for dinner, and so on.

I put on my after bath clothing and headed down to dinner.

My monk (because I was the only guest) came to fetch me for dinner. I was served in a small, private room. My food was already awaiting me. The monk bowed, opened the door, walked in and showed me my seat, kneeled and bowed, exited the room, kneeled and bowed, and then closed the door. Lots of bowing.

Dinner was vegetarian, but very enjoyable.

Afterwards, I went back to the onsen and did a little reading. I started reading Ready Player One on the train. Its a fast-paced book, and it got me hooked pretty quickly. I read some more in my room, enjoying the peace and quiet of the temple. After a few hours, I cranked up my heated futon and went to bed. It was quite cold overnight and there was no heat anywhere in the temple, so I was thankful for that.