Mount Koya

This morning we joined in with the daily ceremony of prayers, it was an incredible honour to be allowed a glimpse into this fascinating world. After a hearty breakfast of rice and miso soup, we headed out into the very very very cold and walked along the village to the Daimon gates.



The Massive Daimon Gates, Entrance to Koyasan for pilgrims for hundreds of years.

Polluting the atmosphere with greenhouse gas is just not cool! Personal fav.

After some more exploring, we sheltered in our room with the heater for a while to regather strength. I went out in the afternoon to the Grand Shrines on the Eastern side of Koyasan. Its a few kilometer walk through ancient cedar forests with thousands of tombs along the way. Incredibly peaceful and serine in the big old forest.

Pilgrims from across Japan come here to pay their respects to the Gods and to loved ones. Here they are splashing water onto the different Gods.

Japan has been an incredible experience, a beautiful country which has been so exciting to explore. More than just friendly, efficient and clean, there is a certain magic to this country that lies somewhere between the fast paced cities and the ancient temples.