It took two train rides, a cable car and a bus, but we finally made it up to the top of lushly green Mt Koya and checked in with Eko-in temple. We were shown to our room, in the traditional style with beautiful tatami mats and sliding screen doors. Our room had a little parlor with sliding doors that opened out onto the temple garden. By then it had started to rain - it was the most peaceful thing to sit looking at the rain drip down into the garden, the only sound being the pit-pat of rain drops and the shuffle of the monks' slippered feet in the hallways.
They had left us a pot of tea and a small tea snack cake (tasted sort of like a mooncake). We drank it while kneeling at our low table in the middle of our room.
Then, while Jana took a nap, I set out to explore small mountain town (a trend had already emerged in our trip). A few sights from my walk:
These were a line of torii gates leading up to a small isolated temple.
I was entertained by this monk in his rain suit walking two dogs in their rain suits (they look like they're wearing pajamas!)
I got back to the temple in time for dinner, which the monks brought to our room. It was the most amazing vegetarian feast, full of unusual but delicious flavors and textures. It was incredible, and I was full to bursting at the end of the meal.
After a bit of a digestion rest, we took a traditional Japanese bath (shower first, then soak in large pool of hot water). When we returned to our room, we found the monks had cleared away our dishes and set up our futons.
Completely relaxed by our bath, we crawled under the cloud-soft comforters and fell into a peaceful sleep listening to the rain drip-drip down into the garden.
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