A magical part of Japan

In April my mother and aunty came to Japan for a holiday. They went to many places including Kyoto, Hiroshima, Nara, Hakone and Takayama. Luckily, I was able to join them on one of their trips. We went to a place which was different from anywhere else I had previously visited in Japan: Koyasan, the home of Japanese Buddhism.

After taking the local train and then a cable car high up into the mountains, we arrived in this extremely beautiful location and then took a bus to our Shukubo. The monks at our Temple lodging were really friendly and helpful and they prepared a simple but tasty vegetarian meal for us in the evening and, in the morning, we were invited to attend the morning meditation ceremony – a very interesting experience!

Koyasan is such a quiet and relaxing place, it was nice just to walk around the area and see the temples and cemetery, and take in the fantastic scenery and fresh air. We only stayed for one night but I think we all felt a positive effect from the place so, if you haven’t already been, I’d definitely recommend a visit to this unusual but magical part of Japan.