Koya-San

After Kyoto, we took the Shinkansen back to Shin-Osaka station and then transferred onto a regular train for the long journey to Koya-San.  It was slow going in comparison to the bullet train, but it allowed us to see the beautiful country-side as we ascended into the green mountains of Wakayama-ken.

The train terminated at the base of the mountain, where we then took the funicular railway to the top.  It was like riding in a cable-car, except on train tracks.  It was so incredibly steep too, I was freaking out that the train wouldn't make it to the top.  In hindsight though, I guess the journey there was half the fun (although, you never think of these things when you're convinced that your train will derail and hurtle to the bottom of the mountain and burst into flames...)

Once we arrived in Koya-San at the top of the mountain, we made our way to our lodgings for the evening.  We stayed in one of the many buddhist temples in the middle of town.  We had a large room with a separate sitting area and bathroom, and a view of the little manicured gardens that adorned the temple.  What bliss - everything was green, peaceful and quiet.  We were served a traditional shojin-ryori meal in our room for dinner.  Consisting of miso, tofu, mountain vegetables, rice and seaweed, it was a veritable banquet - for vegetarians.  I enjoyed it, but Steve was left a little hungry afterwards as vegetables are a rare feature of his diet...

The next morning we breakfasted in the communal dinning hall at the temple.  It was odd, sitting quietly with twenty other strangers, eating seaweed and rice for brekky.  Afterwards, we walked to Oku-no-in, a buddhist cemetery nestled in the mountain top.

The atmosphere was serene.  A layer of moss covered all the tombstones, and delicate wildflowers adorned the cobbled path leading the cemetery's main temple.  We spent a few hours wandering through the grounds, visiting monuments along the way.  It might sound strange, visiting a cemetery on one's holiday, but Oku-no-in is beautiful and otherworldly, not at all sad or scary.  At times it did seem a little spooky, when the mist would hang low over the trees and the sunlight would disappear behind thick clouds.  But I was left with on overall feeling of peace and tranquility.  An ideal resting place...

Kyoto

The next stop in our Japan adventure was the cultural captial of Kyoto.  We jumped on the Shinkansen from Osaka and pulled in at Kyoto station 15 minutes later.  Although geographically close, these two cities are miles apart.

While Osaka was gritty and busy, Kyoto is more traditional.  Although it has a bustling city centre, there's a certain air of refinement.  There are more cultural and historical sights in this city than anywhere else in Japan.

We stayed at K's House hostel, about a 15 minute walk from the station.  Our room was small but clean and the facilities were great.  We hired some bikes to explore the city, stopping at temples and castles along the way.  My favourite sight was Nijo-Jo Castle in northwest Kyoto.  The castle was built by the shogun in the 17th century, complete with 'nightingale' floors that would alert the shogun and his bodyguards to any intruders.  I had just finished reading "Across the Nightingale Floor" by Lian Hern, an alternative history/fantasy about Japanese samuri and ninjas which made reference to the nightingale floors popularised by Nijo-Jo castle.  For me, it was almost like stepping into the story.  Yes, I know I'm a colossal nerd.

 

I had to put this one in.  I loved the English translated signs in Japan.  I still don't know what this means.

Ok, so there's oodles to see. We took our bikes and visited Kiyomizu-Dera, a huge temple in the southern part of the city.  The hills are incredibly steep, so we parked our bikes in a designated parking area (which you have to pay for!) and strolled up Teapot Lane to the temple.  It was a sunny day in the mid 30's, and I was sweating profusely.  I couldn't get over how many tourists were there, all dressed immaculately.  The girls were wearing high-heels and makeup, and I felt like an absolute bogan in comparison, what with my thongs and slouchy jeans...

We ambled down Ishibei-koji, a quaint little lane lined with teahouses and inns.  I saw what I thought were real geisha girls, although they might have just been there for the tourists...

There's so much to see.  We checked out an antique market at To-Ji temple in the southern part of the city, where I bought a set of hand-painted tea cups.  I had no idea how to haggle in Japanese - I'm sure the guy gave it to me in the end to get rid of me! 

We saw so much in Kyoto, almost too much to list here. I recommend to anyone visiting the city to hire out some bikes and explore the city at your leisure.  I loved riding on the path alongside the Kamo-gawa river, which cuts right through the heart of the city. You see things from a different perspective, a side most tourists might not see (for instance, the homeless people living under the bridges in their makeshift huts, with their shoes lined up neatly by the 'door').

Any visit to Japan is not complete until you see Kyoto...