Day 20 – From meditation to mayhem

OK here we go again. Another day where we need to cover some ground in trains and automobiles. And there’s only one way to prepare for a testing day of timetables and maps – and that’s with a bit of morning meditation with 5 Esoteric Buddhist Monks.

We were up early – OK very early – in Koyasan. It was 5:17 am – just about the time I usually get up for boot camp. But no Lycra was required on this occasion – nope we were heading back into Okuin Cemetery once more. Deep into the cemetery over the Goyobashi bridge and into the Torodo (the temple directly in front of Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum – see the post for day 19 for more on the Kobester).

We’d heard that the monks deliver a tray of food to Kobo Daishi’s tomb at 6 am every morning. After that they chant in the temple for 45 minutes or so and visitors are allowed in to sit and observe or meditate or whatever. Usually you can’t get access to the temple – but we’re both fans of a bit of early morning quiet time – and that’s why we were there. We expected lots of other gaijin to be there too. We were wrong – all the other gaijin were obviously sleeping off the previous night’s sake. There was only one other Japanese woman, 5 Buddhist monks – and us. All in this massive, dimly lit, incense filled temple. Luckily the Japanese woman knew what she was doing so we followed her lead, sat (well knelt actually) behind the monks and tried to focus and stay clear headed. Meanwhile for the next hour the monks chanted (the harmonics were remarkable), rang bells, lit candles etc. It was an experience – no talking, no phones, no photos. The walk back out was lovely.

Later, after some truly appalling coffee (I guess there aren’t too many Buddhist baristas out there – but seriously this was undrinkable) it was time to drive back down the mountain and into crazy old Osaka. From there we boarded what would be our last Shinkansen back to Tokyo. Sigh.

Our last AirBnB in Japan is a bit of a shoebox, but it’s in a great location – quiet – but just a stone’s throw from the Shinjuku super action. Tokyo seems so much hotter (low thirties) than Osaka. And then there’s the humidity. So we dumped our bags and went off in search of some Shinjuku based refreshments. After one false start we found Yona Yona bar in a massive Shinjuku basement. Hoards of young people drinking the v popular Yona Yona range of craft beers, yelling, laughing and munching on a range of quality snacks. Luckily we like all of those things so we played along – and as usual did our best to keep a low profile. Job done.

Entering Okunoin Cemetery on the way to hang with the monks. 5:37 am.

Three grassy knolls – can’t tell you what these are all about. 5:42 am

Festive Buddha. 5:45 am

Bibs and bliss. 5:49 am

Soggy moss growing on a headstone. Okonuin Cemetery. Koyasan.

Bye bye hire car. A little capsule of air-conditioned luxury amongst all the traffic chaos of inner city Osaka.

Back on the subway in Osaka. I very much approve of the polished timber panelling and the lush green velvet upholstery. Wonder how long that would last in say, Sydney?

The many options available to you if you are desperate enough for vending machines coffee on the Shinkansen train platform. I was not that desperate.

Kyoto school kids out the window of the Shinkansen train on the way to Tokyo. Moments later the boy with the purple suitcase flipped me the bird. Only kidding – he made a cute little peace sign.

Getting to our tiny little AirBnB in Shinjuku proved to be a challenge. It was v v hot and some sections of the path were ridiculously narrow. This is for real a walkway.

Dinner at the Yona Yona Bar and Restaurant in Shinjuku. Yona Yona is a v successful local craft beer and they have set up a pretty decent underground bar. Stacked with young cool cats and a two gaijin wannabes.

It wasn’t just all about the beer of course. The pics do it a disservice. Radish salad with bonito flakes, and kale salad with toasted almonds and walnuts with a gorg dressing. Not pictured, the chicken and wedges we also ate.