Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

On a recommendation from my friend, Matt, we set out for one last excursion. Our destination was a massive cluster of Buddhist temples in the mountains of Wakayama Prefecture (state), south of Osaka. Actually, many people had been telling me for ages that Koya-san was a great place to visit, perhaps with Akemi. But, I hadn't been there yet. So, it was an adventure for both of us.

Transportation was smooth, but complicated. A train from Aioi to Himeji. Train from Himeji to Osaka. Subway from Osaka to Namba. Different kind of train from Namba to a small town in the mountains. Cable car from the small town to Koya station at the top of the mountain. Bus from Koya station into the center of town where we would start our sightseeing. Around 4½ hours in all.

I thought the cable car was really neat. It takes you up a really steep incline on the side of the mountain. Since this train does nothing but go up this steep incline, the train is built to work at an angle. Everything inside is at a slant. The whole interior of the train is a big staircase.

Along the way, we met a group of people we tagged along with. The leader was a Japanese man studying Chinese. He was with a Chinese woman, the sister of his Chinese teacher. And, the Chinese woman's niece who was born in Japan was along too. The man spoke Chinese, English, and Japanese. The woman spoke Chinese and a little English. The girl, Chinese and Japanese. Me, English and Japanese. And Sara, just English. It was one of those interesting situations where everybody's got something interesting to say, but deciding how to say it is complicated. He showed us where to go in Koya-san for a while and we had lunch together. Among other things, he took us through an old and historically significant Buddhist graveyard. Many important people from Japan's past are buried there. Japanese people will be quick to tell you that this graveyard unites many enemies. The Japanese believe that after you're dead, your rivalries disappear and even the most vigorous enemies can be buried near to one another. This is the case in the great graveyard at Koya-san.

The whole town of Koya-san is a Buddhist religious center. The main attraction is a monastic complex, the headquarters of the Shingon school of Esoteric Buddhism. There are something like 50 temples there. And, the whole thing is surrounded by a thick forest. Besides being a fascinating view into the training of monks and modern Buddhism, it's a beautiful place to spend the day. It's said to be one of the most rewarding places to visit in the Kansai area.

In the graveyard at Koya-san. This was interesting to me. It actually gives the name of a company. The company set up a memorial in this graveyard to honor their deceased employees.

This advertisement for an upcoming art show reminded us of a certain friend we know who likes art history.

After a hearty helping of looking at pretty temples, we headed back down the mountain.

The scenery from the window of the cable car was gorgeous.

Once we got on a regular train, we went down a windy path through the forest. We stopped at many small train stations along the way. This is one such station.

Since Osaka is on the way home, we met Akemi for dinner in Osaka. It was the last dinner of Sara's trip to Japan, so we wanted to have something good. First, we had takoyaki (balls of octapus fried in the middle of bigger balls of dough). Then, we went to a restaurant for yakiniku, grilled meat. You are given a big plate of raw meat. There's a grill in the middle of your table. You grill the meat on that grill. Sara liked it very much. I was happy. This was all in the busy Namba area of southern Osaka.

Looking down the street in the Namba neighborhood of Osaka at night.

And, alas, it was time to head back for Aioi. We stayed up until 2 or 3 talking. Sara would leave the next day.

Alex Quinn's Japan Journal

7/21/2005, Sara visit day 7: Koya-san in Wakayama Prefecture