Kongo-buji in Koya

Kongo-buji on Mount Koya. Kongo-buji is the ecclesiastic head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, and was first built in 1593.

Hallways wrap around all sections of the temple.

The 2,340 square meter rock garden is the largest in Japan. The granite stones suggest a pair of dragons emerging from clouds to protect the temple.

They were selling sheets of bronze for 2,000 yen at the gift shop. You write your name and a wish onto the sheet, and it is then used to reconstruct a part of the roof.

Shojin Ryori: Buddhist Cuisine

One of the highlights of staying at Ichijoin in Koya, Wakayama Prefecture was getting to experience shojin ryoryi ("devotion cuisine", traditional Buddhist cuisine that is famously vegetarian. Above was a dinner meal.

Shojin ryori has been around in Japan since the 12th century, and is believed to have a great influence on Japanese cuisine.

 

Many of the dishes are based on tofu, such as this one above, which is made of yuba (tofu skin).

 

Seasonal fruit also play a large role. This persimmon salad also had dried persimmon inside!

Soba noodles and yuba rolls.

The loveliest surprise of the meal: tempura. The inside was...

...fig, which I had never before experienced!

The miso sauce here was delicious. To be fair, though, everything was delicious.

Breakfast, which also features persimmon and tofu.

 

A monk gathering everything up at the end.

More Koya Temples

Koya temple fatigue is settling in... I could explain the names of these temples, but let's be honest: after a while they all seem to blur together. It would be better simply to appreciate the beautiful detail in these buildings. (Though if the town created a walking audio guide to the area, I would be tempted to use it.)

Firefighters training. Their uniforms match the trees.

It looks like an ibis but is more likely a crane.

Okunoin: The Largest Cemetery in Japan, Part 2

 

After walking about two kilometers through the cemetery, you finally reach the temple grounds of Okunoin, in Koya, Wakayama. (There is a second entrance that allows you to bypass all of the walking and start close to the temple.)

I wish I knew what these pyramid-like structures were called.

 This grasshopper had been petrified. Overall, I was surprised by the lack of visible natural life in Okunoin, since it is essentially a forest that is thousands of years old.

 

A shishi that was tiny and cute like a French bulldog.

 

Amulets that you are not supposed to open up. 

At one point, you could send telegrams from here. This is incredible, considering that Koya is a town that is high up in the mountains, and Okunoin is at the edge of it.

Free tea had been prepared for visitors in these old-fashioned stoves.

This whole process seemed rather complicated, but apparently, you are supposed to make offerings and throw water at the statues to pray for departed family members.