Koya-san

I guess it's about time that I made a post on my trip to Koya-san. It's been a week since I went, and I've been meaning to write this blog post, but I've also been incredibly lazy. I like to think that I've been giving myself time for my ideas to marinate, but it's just laziness. Classic Celia.

One of the many Buddhist temples at Koya-san.

Koya-san is a mountain--technically, a group of mountains--located in Wakayama prefecture. It's a very religious area, being the center of Shingon Buddhism in Japan. There are over 100 temples, and there are even some where you can stay overnight, called shukubo. 

Our group stayed at a shukubo, and it was a unique, immersive experience. I loved every minute of it--there's something so refreshing about doing something new. We participated in meditation, morning rituals, and a night tour, allowing us to get a glimpse of Koya-san's rich history. 

The shukubo provided us with breakfast and dinner (dinner shown above, although breakfast was basically the same thing). This style of meal is called "shojin ryori", which consists of many small dishes, and is vegetarian. I had mixed feelings about the shojin ryori- it was very different from what I'm used to, and I didn't know what most of the stuff on my plate was. On the other hand, most of it was delicious, and it was pretty filling.

After taking a bath, my friends and I put on the yukata (traditional Japanese robes) provided by the shukubo. They were really comfy, and I wish I could've kept mine. Speaking of the bath, this was my first time going to a public bath (sento). Initially, I was a bit nervous, because I'm not very comfortable with my body, and going to the bath would require me to be naked in front of everyone. Nevertheless, I forced myself to take off my clothes, and stepped into the bath room. And then I realized: Hey, everyone else is naked too! And it's not a big deal! And they're not staring at me! Honestly, this was really liberating. I was able to relax both physically and mentally, and I felt fantastic afterwards. Needless to say, I'll be going to the sento a lot from now on.

The next day, we woke up early to attend the morning rituals. Even though I was super tired, it was a really interesting, enriching experience, and I'm glad I was able to go. After that, we had breakfast, which again consisted of mystery ingredients. Oh well, it was still good. Side note--I tried umeboshi (pickled plum) for the first time, and let me tell you, it was wild. Umeboshi is very popular in Japanese cuisine, but I knew it had a reputation for being far too sour for the American palate. I went into it prepared for the sourness, but what I didn't anticipate was how salty it would be. I almost spat it right out, but I managed to choke it down. Maybe it's an acquired taste. After breakfast, we headed to another temple (above pictures), and had some free time to explore the town.

 

This was the softest dog I've ever met.

 

The whole group!

I had a great time at Koya-san, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about Japanese history, Buddhism, and philosophy. It was a really special, peaceful place, and I hope to go back someday.