I checked online for train times and re-read Lonely Planet's instructions on how to get there:
"...the best way to get to Koya-san is the Nankai-Dentetsu line from Osaka's Namba Station to Koya-san. The trains terminate at Gokurakubashi, at the base of the mountain, where you board a funicular railway up to Koya-san itself. From the cable-car station, you take a bus into the centre of town..."
Huff...Lonely Planet, Lonely Planet. Now what are we going to do with you? That is not the right answer. Of course I can laugh now. At the time I turned the air blue. The platform was empty and I thought that nobody would understand what I was saying anyway. Let me explain. I checked Hyperdia and it told me to change at Hashimoto and then get the train to Gokurakubashi. So, confused as ever, I double checked with the train official at Namba station that the train I was about to board stopped at Hashimoto. I wasn't sure whether he understood me but he said yes. I felt he just said this to get rid of me but I had no other option but to get on the train. The first stop told me that I was going in the right direction. Phew. Four stops in the train started going backwards. What the f...What kind of train does that? I got off at Takidani and spoke to the official there. Thankfully he spoke some English and directed me on to the correct train and gave me a train map guide and explained what I needed to do next.
What Lonely Planet failed to mention is that the journey to Koya-san is far from a hop (train), skip (cable car) and a jump (bus). I had to get the train from Namba to Kii-Shimizu, then a bus from there to Hashimoto, then a train from Hashimoto to Gokurakubashi, then a cable car up to Koyasan station and then a bus to the temple. Even Hyperdia failed to tell me about the bus change. I became mightily confused when everyone got off the train one stop before Hashimoto. I have since found out that the typhoon had damaged the track between the the two stations and that's the reason behind the bus change. Alright LP, I'll give you that one. So yes, a journey I imagined taking around 2 hours took me over 3 hours. I was in definite need of relaxation!
Welcome to Eko-In
I rocked up to Eko-in, the temple I planned to stay in overnight, with the beast and my multiple bags with just enough energy to say hello. Two young monks smiled and welcomed me in. All the monks at the temple speak English which made things a lot easier. I stumbled in and took a minute to catch my breath (note to self: must start jogging again in Australia). I was given a tour of the temple and was shown the onsen of which I intended to take full advantage of later. I was then shown to my room.
Room with a view
All the mod-cons!
Spacious room and a fan. This is like a palace compared to my usual dorm stays.
Free tea and biscuits
I arranged to take part in the meditation class an hour later and the two morning ceremonies the next day. I had a nice cup of tea along with the sweet biscuits provided. I took this time to relax and forget about the frenzied journey. This really did not matter any more.
It didn't take long for time to slip away and my meditation class to begin. A monk tapped on my door and explained that the class is about to begin. I took this moment to ask him a couple of questions about the robes that had been piled to the side of the room. It was only when I walked out of the room to put on my slippers that I realised there was a queue of other guests lined up waiting to continue on to the class. Oops. I didn't particularly want a group of locals witnessing my ignorance but never mind.
On we went through the temple to the meditation room which was carpeted with cushions spaced out for each guest. This was a welcome surprise as I can't actually cross my legs. Sounds bizarre but I just can't, it hurts. I was the only Gaijin in the room but this was more of a general observation rather than an uncomfortable situation. One of the monks - Nobuhiro - sat down and explained that he would translate for me. I was given a brief introduction to the origins of their meditation traditions and techniques. The one fact that stood out for me is the explanation of the half-closed eyes pose during meditation. I understand that Buddha images and statues have half-closed eyes but never placed any real thought into this. Nobuhiro informed me that the reason for this is so we can see half of the outside world and half of our own inner world. Nobuhiro added that our eyes are used to seeing the outside world and can be easily distracted. He said that whenever this happens I should widen my mind so the thought still remains but it drifts out of focus.
I struggled to get into the lotus position which was no surprise. NobuhiroNobuhiro previously demonstrated. The monks left the room so we had no distractions. I tried to relax and at first I felt a floaty rush of relaxation. This was broken in parts by a girl in front who seemed to be struggling to stay awake, another girl had an itchy face and another guy kept fidgeting. Someone also had a coughing fit. Perhaps it would have been more intense if I was alone but I still felt good. After about 10 minutes my feet started to seize up and feel a bit sore. I was determined not to move until the monks came back. What felt like a century but was probably only another 5 minutes, the monks returned and Nobuhiro said I was ok to move myself out of the position I was in. Great...except I couldn't move. I literally couldn't move my legs. I tried to wiggle a little and Nobuhiro gave me an odd stare as if to say "what is this girl doing? Is she a bit spesh?". I managed to unravel myself. My ankles throbbed in pain. The class carried on and we did a few exercises until it was time to leave for our evening meals.
My delish meal
I got free wooden chopsticks - not the disposable ones - which was unexpected. I didn't eat the melon or the cold noodles on this side but the squidgy stuff (top left) was alright.
Tofu, nom. Tempura, nom. Pickled veg, nom. Strange fishy shredded things, nom. Shed loads of rice (not pictured) nom nom noooooom.
The monks were attentive and very polite. These are not unusual traits within Japanese culture but it was a warming touch as I felt very welcome in this place of worship. After I ate my delicious dinner, the dishes were taken away and my bed was made up. Despite the fact that it was just a mattress, sheet and duvet, it looked incredibly snuggly. I wasn't wrong. I had a very good night's sleep.
After dinner, I decided to write some postcards and let the food settle before venturing out to the onsen. I was a bit apprehensive. I had read a lot about onsen etiquette and knew straight away there would be something I'd miss. I don't want to offend the people who have, so far, been lovely.
I left all my inhibitions at the door and walked in like I did this kind of thing every day. I stripped down to my birthday suit and casually strolled through to the bath. Oh, did I fail to mention that the onsen entails complete nudity? Yes, I was naked...in front of strangers. Something completely alien to me really seen as I struggle to accept my own body, never mind the thought of others staring at me. Maybe it was the meditation, or just my growing relaxed attitude during my trip, but I thought "screw it, I'm going in!". I made sure I washed myself adequately as that's the main way to offend the locals. Nobody likes to bathe with a dirty person so that makes sense. I was the first to go into the bath. The room was already filled with steam so I knew what was coming. I sank into the watery abyss and was met with a soothing blanket of warmth. I felt good. I felt really good. I almost forgot there were other ladies in the room. They too were washing themselves and joined me. They were quite mature ladies so they knew the score. One of them gave me a nod. I felt like I'd been initiated into the onsen gang. All was well and good at Koya-san. I only lasted about 15-20 minutes. The wrinkly fingers were a tell-tale sign that I best get out.
Once back in my room, it took me a while to cool down. I had a fan in my room so I just stood in front of that for a while until I reached room temperature and settled down for bed. It was quite early but I had a 6:30am ceremony to get up for so I needed my sleep! As I stated before, I had a great night's sleep and was of a reasonable standard to venture into the open at such an early hour. I aint pretty on a morning. My morning face plus crazy-straggly bed hair means I look like I belong on the set of a Thriller video. I set my alarm to an hour before the first ceremony so I had time to adjust. There was no mirror in my room so I had to trust by the monk's reaction when he collected me for the ceremonies that I was fit for public viewing.
Both ceremonies were within shrines of some kind. I had no translator with me this time so I just had to go with whatever happened. The first ceremony involved a lot of chanting from two monks. Ten minutes in, one of the monks gestured to a girl at one side and she moved across to the centre, crouched down in front of the shrine, bowed her head with her hands in the prayer position. The girl then lifted her body up to face the shrine then picked up a small amount of ash or herbs (?), acknowledged the statue and placed it in a bowl. The girl then got up and went back to where she was sitting. This process continued along the rows of attendants. Some would place one clutch of the unknown substance and others would pick up two or three separate amounts. I had no idea what this was meant to resemble. I had a sudden thought - "should I go up? Am I expected to go up?". Again, I was surrounded by locals so would understand if they thought I should stay out of this seen as I am not strictly a part of their religion. Suddenly, a young Japanese lady gestured at me to take me turn. I was stunned and asked her to confirm that I should go up. The girl nodded. Argh! Ok, remember the process - bow, grab, acknowledge, bow, get up and go. I did this and then suddenly panicked when I wasn't sure how many grabs of ash to take. I fumbled a bit but, seen as I had my back to the crowd, was able to mask my apprehension. I never know what to do or think about at these times. I feel like a bit of a hypocrite. Whenever I am asked to send a prayer I think of my parents. As cheesy as that sounds, I don't feel like any harm could come from sending a prayer to my parents even if I am completely uneducated when it comes to religion!
The second ceremony took place in a separate shrine. This was a lot more intriguing than the one before. It was a fire ceremony. I saw photos of it online and was hoping to take some photos of my own but nobody else had a camera. Whenever I am unsure about something I always do what the locals do, so I refrained from using my camera. Both ceremonies were interesting and I'm glad I got up early to witness them. This was the first time where I felt just like everyone else, an equal almost. There were no critical stares and no judgement. It was great! Once the second ceremony had finished, we were taken back to Eko-in for breakfast. I couldn't stomach rice and fishy things at 7:30am. I ate something but I have no idea what it was. I have no idea how to describe it to you!
After breakfast, I packed up my things and moved everything into reception. Despite being up in the mountains, the temple had free internet so I took advantage. I researched hostels in Hiroshima and updated my blog. I checked the clock and realised it was late afternoon and I had been on the computer for several hours. What am I doing? I should be out exploring! Nobuhiro came over to find out what I was doing as I had been on for so long. He too was baffled. I felt ridiculous and mumbled that I was updating my blog. My lame excuse didn't register with Nobuhiro to begin with as he wasn't sure what a blog was! I left him with a link to my blog (he requested it) and departed for a short tour of the mountains. I ventured into the cemetery there and was met with a lot of interesting sights.
I usually find coins piled next to statues, in ponds or embedded in the walls of sacred areas. I found this rather unusual. I'm not sure what the significance of this tree stump is.
Mizumuke-Jizo: Series of large statues. Visitors pour water over each one as a prayer for their deceased loved ones.
I also had fun trying to lift Miroku-ishi. It's a stone which is said to feel light to virtuous people and heavy to sinful people. Thankfully I wasn't the only one who couldn't lift it. I also looked down Sugatami -no-Ido which is a reflection well. I saw my reflection which means I'm not going to die within three years, phew!
It was time to leave Koya-san and head back to Osaka for the overnight bus to Hiroshima. Koya-san was brilliant and I'd definitely recommend a temple stay to anyone visiting Japan. If I had the money I would have stayed another night.
Now for a real challenge...find the bus terminal without the help of my two friends back in Tokyo. This could be interesting...
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