Three monks and a nun performed a melodic chant in Sanskrit which they kept going for about half an hour, with gongs and echoing chimes from bowls struck with a wooden stick. It was incredible to watch and afterwards we were addressed by the head monk and welcomed to his shrine accommodation. His English was impeccable and he spoke with a calm and soothing voice as he recommended visiting the local cemetery to view the main shrine of his order.
We then had breakfast in the dining hall - which turns out to be the oldest building in Koya San, at 400 years old! From there we headed off to the cemetery with a local guide. This is an intriguing place. Thousands of stone memorials are in the cemetery, towered over by huge cedar trees. The place is in perpetual shadow and so is very damp with moss growing everywhere.
There are many images of the founding monk and of the Buddha. Many of which are clothed in red cloth and hats of various descriptions. We arrived at the last bridge leading to the main temple, just as three monks were taking the departed founder his meal in the temple. From there we headed to the temple where again monks were chanting and people were showing their respects. No pictures were allowed unfortunately in the main temple area.
From there we emerged out into the sunlight and caught some lovely tree colours in a more open part of the cemetery. The colours were breathtaking and lifted the sombre mood of the dark tree lined area.
We stopped for some lunch in town, which was very welcoming as being at nearly 900 metres above sea level the temperature was quite cold.
We then had some more temples / shrines to take in, including the Great Stupa that Clare visited last night.
We arrived in time for the ringing of the shrine's large bell which is only struck twice a day.
The exit took us down a lovely avenue of autumn foliage which really was wonderful.
Then it was time to head back to the funicular and start our 3 hour, 3 train journey to Kyoto.
We arrived at our hotel around 6pm and after disposing of our bags had a quick self guided walk around the Gion district, famous for the Geisha's going about their business. We only saw one young lady, escorted by a minder, making her way to an appointment of some nature. The area is in fact quite small and not what I was really expecting. In fact Kyoto is a huge modern city along the lines of Tokyo and not small and ancient as I had in my mind for some reason.
We stopped for a quick bite to eat and headed to the hotel, quite exhausted. Tomorrow we have a day free to explore what Kyoto has to offer.
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