Two Nights in a Monastery - Koyasan
Two of the more memorable nights in Japan were at Regenjo-in. This is a Shingon Buddhist Monastery in a place called Koyasan, southwest of Nara. The town of Koyasan was founded in 816 by a monk named Kobo Daishi who had gone to China in 804 or spent two years learning Buddhist teachings. So let's just say that this town has a lot of history to it. It is small, 4000 citizens, and can be compared to what the Vatican is for Christianity - the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. It really is an amazing place to stay in and to get to. To get there you can drive or take the train. I took the train from Hashimoto to the terminal station of Gokurakubashi. From there you transfer to a cable car that brings you up the mountain to Koyasan. Finally a bus trip into the centre of town on an extremely windy road (cars and pedestrians prohibited). The temple I stayed at is near the entrance to the town at the second bus stop. Regenjo-in is a beautiful establishment. I was greeted by two mo...