Mount Koya Temple experience

On arrival into Japan the first area we spent some time in was Kansai. This is south of Tokyo and includes some of the most notable locations to visit.



Urvi had found out about this place called Mount Koya which is famous for the collection of temples where you can stay and get the full experience of Japanese Buddhism, temple life, food and ceremony. Basically you book a room, which is in the traditional Japanese style (tatami mats and all) and you get dinner, bed and breakfast, most temples also have the traditional baths and expect you to take part in the early morning prayer ceremony.



Don’t be fooled into thinking that this experience was either ‘simple’ or even cheap, it was neither! To my mind the temples are actually more religious retreats than functioning temples, and the experience was spiritual but with comfort and luxury. The rooms are simple (as is the Japanese style) but classy, and the service was impeccable (we soon found that this was very much the norm in Japan – even in MacDonald’s!!!!)

We had an amazing tea and then full traditional dinner – which was fully vegetarian. I felt that eating Japanese food in this style is a bit like eating on a plane (albeit in first class!) as there are so many little compartments of food, and everything is really nicely presented. You never think that you will be full but are always stuffed by the end of it. Top of the bill was the tofu, which they do a few different ways, this is the cuisine that Koya is famous for. The Miso Soup was amazing and the pickles soooo aromatic.






It’s safe to say that we enjoyed the food totally. The only problem for me was that again in tradition style the dinner was served on the floor. So that meant sitting on the floor, not a strength of mine!!!

In the morning we got up for the traditional prayer ceremony. This was really amazing, very relaxing – so much so I nearly fell asleep again! In total the prayers lasted about an hour, and they are actually more a meditation, rather than prayers. After the meditations, the main guru, invited people (mainly tourists) for coffee and to discuss the ceremony and what things meant. This was nice and again helped us to understand what we have experienced.

After this we went back to the room, where breakfast was waiting. This was no stale croissant and dodgy coffee affair, it was a full on Japanese breakfast. I must say that there were some major similarities in the design of the meal between dinner and breakfast but the dishes were all different. It was a really great and refreshing start to the day. It was also a huge brekkie and therefore set us up perfectly for the days touring.

We then checked out and took a walk around the rest of Koya. It’s a really beautiful place. The town is placed on the mountain, and it has a quiet reflective feel to it. One of the main things there is the Buddhist cemetery. This is pretty much the largest in Japan, and definitely the most important. Any ‘important’ Buddhist in Japan would want to be laid to rest there. It is completely set within a wood and is just magical.