Koyasan, Kinki, Japan
Saturday, July 29, 2006
The temples of Mt. Koya, or Koyasan, were founded by Kukai, or Kobo-daishi, a great Tantric Buddhism master in the 9th century. My mom and I joined a bus tour to Mt. Koya for 4500 JPY per person. It took six hours to reach the temple from Nagoya Station. The bus seat was too small for me and it was really tiring just to sit for six hours. The time we spared in Mt. Koya was only 2 hours. During the short time, we visited Okunoin with a guide, passing throgh the huge grave yard including the tombs of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Oda Nobunaga, Maeda Toshie, Date Masamune, and Takeda Shingen (They are all famous generals and worriers in Japananese history). We also visited Kongo-zanmai-in. It was built by Hojo Masako to pray for Minamoto Yoritomo in 1211. It had a national treasure pagoda, but not so impressive. To be honest, I was not sure why it was the tour destination. Still, it seemed to be recognized as a World Cultural Heritage Site. .
Koyasan Official Website
http://www.shukubo.jp/eng/index.htmlIt is full of information for all the visitors speaking English. It includes a list of Shukubos, a lodge operated by a temple, and information on how to book a Shukubo.
Mt. Koya Temple Stay Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gDIEENVzS4 According to
Japan-guide.com, Temple lodging in Shukubo is highly recommended.
