OSAKA > KOYA-SAN
Woke up to Helen’s message of waiting for a train at Kansai to come meet us!
When she made it around 9am we walked for Yodabayashi station, stopping for a coffee and croissant on the way.
Quick charades stop in the pharmacy got us ibruprofen ready to head to Osaka castle with our luggage.
Long old walk, lots of stairs but at least got to stash luggage before exploring 8 floors of castle.
Nice flash storm whilst at top. Then the journey to Koya-san began…
Helen managed to leave her suitcase in the middle of Namba station!
Strange tube-like above ground train trundled up the mountain for an hour and a half before a very steep train ride to the top.
Bus to the monestery where we have a simple (but beautiful) room.
Dinner at 1730 was an amazing array of pickles, veggies and noodles (all vegan of course). Then came the 1915 Okuno-in nighttime graveyard tour with a friendly westernised monk (Nobu) who had studied in Manchester and did his river bathing ritual in the summer.
Lots of interesting info about history and common headstone stack [insert sketch of stack] about the consciousness of anything living.
wecantakethisboat.com 