Life with Buddha in Hidden Monastery of Mount Koya, Japan

Mount Koya is a sacred mountain to the Japanese who practice Buddhism and is a picture-perfect Zen landscape- complete with tall Cedar trees shrouded in mist, ancient rock temples, and towering waterfalls. Buddhist monks dressed in orange and red robes walk the mountain and take care of the landscapes. Take a bus ride up the hill to the Monastery.

After driving to Mount Koya among the beautiful landscapes, trees, long uphills, we finally arrived at Mount Koya monastery, where we noticed that our cell phone signals were gone. As millennium tourists, we were divested.

We spent the night on mount Koya, changed into our Japanese P.J.s, and ate traditional Japanese dinner with the monks. Slept in traditional Ryokan; Japanese minimalist wooden structure with futon-like mattresses on straw mats. (O.M.G. did I mention the Green tea)

We struggled to find signals, but lucky for us the Monastery had wifi for its guests 🙂 we had to wake up super early like at 6 am (it is early with the different time zones and the jet lagging) to practice Zen meditation during their morning prayer session. (I did not even wake up for that) I had the opportunity to practice and learn about Zen meditation at noon on that same day when my body was awake a little L.O.L.

No shoes on wood. No shoes in the bedrooms, no boots were there was carpet, the bathroom has its slippers that we can find in the bathroom hall. Bedrooms also had their slippers to wake around on wood in them. no yelling, no loud talking, no sleeping late, no distractions, and be respectful and follow the rules (learn these rules, and the monks will love you)

Mount Koya was beyond beautiful; the scenery was terrific, trees, the morning mist, Oh my god, and the fresh air was breathless.