Saturday, June 30, 2007

Trip to Japan: Day 6 6月23日金曜日

The highlight of any visit to Koya-san 高野山 is arguably a walk through the Okuno-in 奥の院 cemetery/temple, preferably in the early morning. And so I was up at 6. As Haryo-in 巴陵院 is a functioning Shingon 真言 temple, there was o-inori お祈り, a Buddhist prayer service, to attend at 6:30. Following a vegetarian breakfast at 7, I left my bags at the temple and set out on foot after 7:30 for the Okuno-in.

45 minutes later, I arrived at the Ichi-no-hashi 一の橋, the entrance to the cemetery.


The scene inside the Okuno-in was like something out of a coffee-table book. Imagine walking along a cobbled path, surrounded by tall cypress trees ヒノキ and thousands of old, moss-covered tombs. For much of the time I was the only one on the path, and the threatening skies only added to the mysterious atmosphere.


One of the more interesting memorials I came across was the North Borneo War Victim Memorial 北ボルネオ没者墓所, dedicated to Australian and Japanese soldiers, and Malaysian civilians killed in North Borneo during the Second World War. Nearby was a memorial for Japanese troops who died in Burma.


At one point, a Western woman with red hair who was taking pictures in the cemetery, asked if I knew the significance of the bib-wearing Jizo 地蔵 statues that were everywhere to be seen in the Okuno-in. I did, and told her (among many things, he is the guardian of the souls of dead children, and the bibs are put there by parents who hope Jizo will give special protection to their deceased young ones). As I started to walk away, I remembered that a few weeks ago on the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree page I had given some advice to someone planning a trip to Japan (you can read the thread here. My username is “Solon”). The writer singled me out for thanks, and wrote:

Solon, maybe I’ll see you in Yoshino and Koya-san – I’ll be the red head with a nicatrol inhaler.

So I asked this redhead in the Okuno-in if she had written to the Thorn Tree a couple of weeks before, and it turned out she had! We had a nice conversation. Darcy, I hope you enjoyed your trip!

The path eventually leads to the Toro-do 灯ろう堂, or Lantern Hall. Photography isn’t permitted on the other side of the Mimyo-no-hashi 御廟橋 bridge, so these were the last shots I could take before crossing over.


Just before crossing the bridge there is a row of Jizo statues that people pour water over as an offering for the dead.


Once on the other side, the first thing to see is a number of inscribed wooden plaques in the river, placed there in memory of aborted fetuses and those who died by drowning (according to the Lonely Planet guide). A short walk further on brings you to a small building housing the Miroku-ishi みろく石, a large boulder which pilgrims try to lift onto a shelf. Apparently, the weight of the stone equals the weight of your sins. I didn’t find it particularly heavy to pick up, so perhaps there’s hope for me yet. At the end of the path is the Lantern Hall, which contains hundreds of lamps. The LP guide states that two of the lamps have been burning for more 900 years, but I couldn’t tell which two they were. Finally, behind the Toro-do, is the mausoleum containing the remains of Kukai himself 空海の墓. It’s a shame I couldn’t take any pictures, because this whole area at the end of the path through the Okuno-in was very photogenic.

Eventually, it was time to leave. So after walking back to the center of town and stopping off at a café for a bowl of gyudon 牛丼 (rice covered with beef and vegetables) and a bottle of beer (ah, meat and alcohol!), I walked back to Haryo-in, said farewell to the priest, picked up my bags and took the bus up the road to the cable-car station. From there, I rode the cable-car down to Gokurakubashi 極楽橋, where I got on a Nankai Line Rapid Express 南海線快速急行 bound for Osaka 大阪. After a little more than 90 minutes, I got off the train at Shinimamiya Station 新今宮駅 and transferred to the JR Loop Line JR環状線. This I took to Osaka Station 大阪駅, where I then hauled myself and my bag over to the nearby Hankyu Umeda Station 阪急梅田駅. 40 minutes on a limited express train 特急 brought me to Karasuma Station 烏丸駅, followed by a short walk underground to Shijo Station 四条駅 and a transfer to the Karasuma line subway 京都市地下鉄烏丸線. A couple of stops later, I emerged from Marutamachi Station 丸太町駅 and onto the streets of Kyoto 京都.

Ah, Kyoto. What can I say that hundreds of travel writers haven’t written already? Depending on how you count these things, this was either my fifth or sixth time to visit. A wonderful combination of the historic and the modern (too much of the latter in some peoples’ eyes), Kyoto is a city I don’t think I could ever get tired off. So after checking into my hotel (the Palace Side Hotel ザ・パレスサイドホテル, across the street from the Sento Gosho Palace 仙洞御所 and the Kyoto Imperial Palace Park 京都御所), I hopped on the No. 10 bus and rode it the short distance to the intersection of Shijo-dori 四条通り and Kawaramachi-dori 川原町通り, Kyoto’s main shopping district.


I’m not much of a shopper, but I love to wander around and check out the sights (and the people). Two places that caught my eye were a bubble tea stand and a Mister Donut outlet. Bubble tea was a reminder of Taiwan, while Mister Donut is, quite simply, a weakness of mine. Who in their right mind can pass up a Honey Dip ハニーディップ, a Honey Old-Fashioned ハニーオールドファッション, a Custard Cream カスタードクリーム or a Chocolate Custard チョコカスタード? A branch has recently opened in Taichung 台中, so hopefully it’s only a matter of time before Fengyuan 豊原 is blessed with its very own outlet (I doubt the donuts will be a sweet as they are in Japan, though).


The day ended on a very upbeat note when I met two other former students of mine from my Yokkaichi 四日市 days, Mariko and Sachiko. These two were also a great help to me when I was planning this trip, and they took advantage of my arrival in Japan to come down to Kyoto to see me (in fact, they stayed in the same hotel). Along with Mariko’s son Takayuki (a student at Kyoto University 京大), we went out for dinner at a restaurant a short walk from the Palace Side Hotel. Called Kaji かじ, it specialized in Kyoto cuisine 京料理. I don’t have to tell you the food was very delicious. I also don’t have to tell you that it was expensive, and that Mariko and Sachiko insisted on paying, but I will. I think I accumulated a lot of 義理 on this trip – someday I’ll do my best to pay it all back!


Thank you again Mariko and Sachiko! どうもありがとうございました。

NEXT: Kyoto to Osaka

Friday, June 29, 2007

Trip to Japan: Day 5 6月21日木曜日

One thing I love about Japan is its public transportation. For me, half the fun of traveling in Japan is the act of getting from one place to another. I often use sites like Yahoo Transit and Ekitan to plot the quickest and/or cheapest way to get from point A to point B. That was how I determined the least expensive route from Dorogawa 洞川 to my next destination, Koya-san 高野山.

I checked out of the Daitoyo-san Ryokan 大豊 around 7am, and made my way over to the bus stop, where I caught the 7:25 bus to Shimoichiguchi Station 下市口駅, and arrived before 8:45. At 9:25 I got on a Kintetsu Line express train 近鉄線急行, and rode to Yoshino-guchi Station 吉野口駅. There, I transferred to the Japan Railways Wakayama Line JR和歌山線, and took the train to Gojo Station 五条駅. At Gojo, I switched to the Nankai Koya-san Line 南海高野山線, and relaxed on the rapid express train 快速急行, enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery all the way to the terminus, Gokurakubashi 極楽橋. The last leg was a five-minute ride on a cable-car to Koya-san, and a short bus ride to my stop, Isshin-guchi 一心口バス停, where just before noon I deposited my bags at the temple where I was to spend the night, and went off to have some lunch and explore Koya-san. Some people might've been worn out from a journey like that, but I was pumped up and ready to go.

Compared to the relative peace and quiet of Yoshino 吉野 and Dorogawa, Koya-san was bustling, especially with foreign tourists. A UNESCO World Heritage 世界遺産 Site, the town of Koya-san is centered around Kongobu-ji Temple 金剛峰寺, a temple founded in 816 by one of the greatest names in Japanese religion, Kukai 空海 (aka Kobo Daishi 弘法大師), the founder of the Shingon 真言 sect of Buddhism. It didn't take long to understand why so many people come to this place.

Lunch was katsudon カツどん (breaded pork on rice) and a bottle of beer, because I knew the temple was going to be vegetarian food and green tea all the way. Afterwards, I visited Kongobu-ji, the headquarters of the Shingon sect. The temple site is 12 centuries old, but the main hall dates from the 19th century.


Nevertheless, it was well worth the ¥500 admission ($4 or NT130) to go inside and look at all the beautiful rooms and the ornate screen paintings. Photography, unfortunately, wasn't allowed inside, but I could take photos of the lovely rock garden in the back.


It just doesn't get more "Japanese" にっぽんぽい than that, wouldn't you agree?

Not far from Kongobu-ji is Garan 伽藍, a temple complex containing a number of halls and pagodas. Of the latter, the best by far is the Dai-to 大塔.


The inside contained awesome statues of the Dainichi-nyorai 大日如來, the Cosmic Buddha, and four attendant Buddhas. Alas, no photography permitted.

Other attractive buildings in the Garan complex are the Kondo 金堂, or Main Hall, and Sai-to 西塔, or Western Pagoda.


The last bit of sightseeing I did was to visit the Reihokan 霊宝館, or Treasure Museum, which had a great display of Buddhist art.


By this time it was becoming late in the afternoon, so I walked back through the central part of town...


...and headed for the temple where I was to spend the night.

In Koya-san, over 50 Buddhist temples offer rooms 宿坊 for visitors. I chose to stay at the Haryo-in 巴陵院.


At around ¥7500 ($60 or NT2000), including two meals, it was the cheapest of the temple lodgings, and the second-cheapest accommodation option in town after the local youth hostel. The 5畳部屋


was spare but comfortable, and the bath was hot but relaxing. But the best part about staying in a Koya-san shukubo was the shojin-ryori 精進料理 dinner. Shojin-ryori is a vegetarian cuisine originally derived from the dietary restrictions of monks. Despite its humble origins, it's actually quite delicious and filling. The other guests staying the night at Haryo-in - a Japanese couple from Sagamihara 相模原, an American couple from Philadelphia, a man from London and a woman from New Zealand - also seemed to enjoy the meal. This shukubo, with its English-speaking head priest, was definitely a 外人-friendly place to stay!

Next: Koya-san to Kyoto 京都

Thursday, June 28, 2007

Trip to Japan: Day 4 6月20日水曜日

Today was the day I finally lived out my yamabushi 山伏 fantasies by climbing Mt. Omine 大峰山. A Yamabushi is a practitioner of Shugendo 修験道, which combines elements of Shinto 神道 and Buddhism 仏教 who undergoes ascetic training in mountainous regions. Omine-san is one of the most holiest peaks in Japan, and is famous (infamous?) for being the last mountain in Japan where women are not allowed to go. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage 世界遺産 Site (as is Yoshino 吉野). So at 8:15 on a beautiful sunny morning, I left my ryokan 旅館 and set out to conquer Omine-san.

The view from the Daitoyo-san Ryokan 大豊 as I set out.


It was a long walk from the ryokan to the start of the trail up Omine-san. On the way I passed a spring reputed to be one of the 100 best in Japan (according to the plaque on the rock), the Gorogorosui spring ごろごろ水. Having filled up my bottle on the way back, I can say it was pretty tasty.


I encountered this large snake sunning itself in the early morning sun.


Eventually I reached the Omine-san Ohashi 大峰山大橋, the start of the traditional path up the mountain. By this point, I had walked 3340 meters (2.08 miles) from Dorogawa 洞川, and was looking at a 5570-meter (3.5-mile) walk uphill to the summit of Mt. Omine 大峰山頂.


Soon after crossing the bridge, I came to the sign stating that this was as far as women could go. Up until 1872, women were not allowed to climb mountains considered to be sacred (including Mt. Fuji 富士山). There were various reasons for this ban - women were considered "impure" due to menstruation and childbirth, and were thought to be too much of a distraction (read temptation) for the ascetic monks. I've also heard that because the 神 of the mountains are goddesses, they are jealous of female intruders. Whatever the reason, only Omine-san still maintains this ban today. Needless to say, I didn't encounter any women on the hike up. In fact, I didn't see anyone until I was almost at the summit, and overall I counted just six other hikers (including two yamabushi) while I was there.


Despite some evidence of logging on the lower reaches of the trail (and the sound of a chainsaw in the distance), the scenery was fantastic. The path was a gradual one, so that while it took a long time to reach the top, it wasn't very strenuous, and was much easier than I had anticipated.


Another spring inviting hikers to help themselves to the water. The summit was still 2710 meters (1.7 miles) away.


There are three tests on Omine-san that a yamabushi has to undertake. The first is called the Kani-no-kabe 蟹の壁, or crab wall, which the yamabushi has to scale. I managed to climb about 3/4 of the way up, using my hands and feet, but the last leg could only be scaled by using a chain to pull yourself over a protruding rock to get to the top. Not having much confidence in my upper-body strength (and not wanting to leave Amber to grow up without a father), I worked my way back down. Fortunately, the top of Kani-no-kabe could be reached on the opposite side via a much easier set of chains. The view from the top of the outcropping was fantastic. The town in the far distance is Dorogawa. Had I really walked that far?


The second test is called the Nishi-no-nozoki. In this one, the pilgrim is hung by his heels over a cliff while he confesses his sins, and promises to live by Buddhist precepts. I looked around, but was unable to find the site. I guess on a weekday morning in mid-June there isn't much demand for tests of faith (not that I would've done it anyway as heights make me very anxious). The last test is called the Ura-no-gyoja 裏の行者, and involves climbing over the true summit of Sanjo-ga-take 山上が岳 using chains. I found the start of this trail, but it looked even more imposing than the Kani-no-kabe, and the sign in Japanese warning of the danger of attempting the route without a guide convinced me that an ascetic lifestyle is best to be seen and not practiced!

Getting closer to the top...


Finally, after 3 hours and 30 minutes, and 9010 meters (5.6 miles), I reached Omine-san-ji Temple 大峰山寺!

 

I ended up spending about 90 minutes wandering around the temple complex. From the summit of Sanjo-ga-take (1719 meters/5640 feet), the views of the surrounding mountains were spectacular.


At times the mist came rolling in...


A self-portrait at the top of Sanjo-ga-take...


A father-son pair of yamabushi on their way to one of the pilgrims' lodgings on the mountaintop. These two would later pass me on the way back down. They were unbelievably quick on the trail.


Finally, it was time to head back down. I'm embarrassed to admit that I had forgotten to take any food with me on the hike, and in fact I had only brought one bottle of green tea to drink, which I had finished by the time I'd reached Omine-san-ji. I was hoping there would be some teahouses open at the top, but being the middle of the week, everything was closed. The caretaker of Omine-san-ji took pity and gave me a couple of packets of sembei 煎餅 (rice crackers) to munch on. When I reached the spring I had passed earlier that day on the way up, I dropped everything to fill up the empty tea bottle and quench my thirst.


Almost to the bottom of the trail, near the Omine-san Ohashi...


...where soon after crossing the bridge, I stopped in at a teahouse and proceeded to drink a bottle of Kirin Beer and eat a plate of curry and rice カレーライス in Olympic-record time. The owner offered to drive me back to Dorogawa, but having walked this far, I was determined to go all the way on foot.

I must have been on some kind of high similar to the endorphin-rush that joggers get, because I felt like I could walk forever. Instead of taking the road back to the village, I detoured onto a longer nature path that eventually led me to a suspension bridge high over Dorogawa, and a lookout point on the small mountain beyond it.


The trail down from the bridge passed a spot where people can meditate under a waterfall, and onto the grounds of an attractive temple called Ryusen-ji 龍泉寺.


A final stroll along the main street through Dorogawa...


...and I was back at the Daitoyo-san Ryokan by 6pm. I thanked the Buddhist and Shinto deities for the day that I'd had, and for the bath, meal and beer that followed before going off to bed.

Next: Koyasan 高野山