So this whole past school week was pretty uneventful, everyone was just glad that we had Friday off because school is starting to take its toll on everyone. This weekend was extra long because we went on our first trip, Koya-san!
While we were staying at Koya-san, we were in this very huge Japanese style house. There were areas to meditate and lots of Buddhist idols scattered throughout. After a 3 bus ride, we arrived at our destination, ate our bento that our host mom's made, got a brief orientation, then headed to Okunoin for our tour. We were led around this humongous cemetery which was very interesting. In all honesty, I wasn't paying attention to what the tour guide was saying because I was too busy taking pictures, but the vibe that this place emanated was very peaceful.
After our tour, we went back to our house and ate our first vegetarian meal! The food was delicious, and wish I could always have such amazing vegetarian food. The goma-tofu was especially notable because it is famous in the area. Next on the agenda was bath time! Nicola, Lotus, and I were grouped together for our bath, it was very relaxing and nice! The next few hours were spent chatting, playing truth or dare, and doing crazy things.
The next morning, Nicola, Tini, John, Ryan, and I woke up at 5 to go hiking. We hiked up a mountain through tori gates in the darkness, heard the cries of foxes in the distance, and looked at the misty scenery. It was beautiful, despite the fact that the trees completely hid the sunrise. The experience was definitely worth it, and we even saw a rainbow! We got back at about 6:15, and by then everyone was more or less up. We then went to a quick meditation, ate another delicious vegetarian meal, then had a longer meditation. After that we went to explore more of Koya-san, including the Kongobuji and the Garan Complex. I bought some omiyage for my family, and before I knew it, it was time to leave for Kobe. This trip was amazingly fun, and it was the one place on the field trip list for this year that I haven't been to yet! Definitely a once in a lifetime experience to live like a monk, if only for a little while.
Today, my host father took me to the Suma-dera which was also very pretty. Apparently it's also for Kuukai. I had no idea that such attraction was so close to my house. I plan on going back to take more pictures!. Also, today, Ryan and I did more studying in Okamoto, then walked to Rokko Michi, another city checked off the list.
