Koya-san was another suggestion from my fellow traveler. I was a bit sceptical about visiting this place since it was yet another buddhistic destination, the monastic complex of Koya-san.
Wooden memorials in Koyasan
To be honest, there isn’t much I can actually say about Koya-san since I just followed along and I’m not exactly a Buddhist. But I did enjoy this little trip to Koya-san. It was snowing when we arrived near Koya town, which made the whole experience just more magical than it is. The path towards the monastary ran through the buddhist cementary. This little hike itself was actually the best part to me, the silence and tranquility was just so calming and soothing.
People keeping the statues warm during winter time.
The temple at the end of the path was quite amazing itself. Not for its architecture, but for the amount of lanterns hanging from the ceiling in the main hall. But it’s not just in the main hall, there were tons of lanterns hanging in the basement of the temple too. Including over 1000 little buddha statues. I did make the mistake of keeping my hat on while entering the temple and taking pictures while it wasn’t actually allowed, eventhough no one said a thing. So bear in mind, next time you visit a temple, make sure you respect the rules.
Main hall of Okunoin
Basement of the Okunoin in Koyasan
Besides the monastary complex there are a nice handful of old temples and shrines that are worth visiting in Koya town itself. I’m not going to pretend that I know all the names of it but be sure to take a stroll around the town before you head back.
Apparently you can pick any gravestone you want….
Scenic front yard of one of the houses in Koya town
Amazing shrines in Koya town
Random elephant statues in Koya town
All in all we spent about a whole day out in Koya-san, freezing our asses off. But I’d say it was worth it.
Alex Yip is a web enthusiast who put his online marketing career on hold to travel around the world for a year. This blog is his virtual journal and logbook to keep people updated on his backpacking adventures on the road.
To be honest, there isn’t much I can actually say about Koya-san since I just followed along and I’m not exactly a Buddhist. But I did enjoy this little trip to Koya-san. It was snowing when we arrived near Koya town, which made the whole experience just more magical than it is. The path towards the monastary ran through the buddhist cementary. This little hike itself was actually the best part to me, the silence and tranquility was just so calming and soothing. 
The temple at the end of the path was quite amazing itself. Not for its architecture, but for the amount of lanterns hanging from the ceiling in the main hall. But it’s not just in the main hall, there were tons of lanterns hanging in the basement of the temple too. Including over 1000 little buddha statues. I did make the mistake of keeping my hat on while entering the temple and taking pictures while it wasn’t actually allowed, eventhough no one said a thing. So bear in mind, next time you visit a temple, make sure you respect the rules. 
Besides the monastary complex there are a nice handful of old temples and shrines that are worth visiting in Koya town itself. I’m not going to pretend that I know all the names of it but be sure to take a stroll around the town before you head back. 
