Osaka and Koyasan

Arriving in Osaka, I was a little worried about getting to the hotel from the airport outside the city after reading that even the Japanese are confused by the signs and exits. It turned out to be easy with the help of the friendly and efficient workers. A train took me to Namba station, a major hub for trains and subways, then I walked to my hotel with explicit instructions from an Information Booth worker who spoke limited English. Love their customer service!

My room was tiny but had a high tech toilet, it’s great. But tomorrow I will have to share the room. I saw no foreigners until I found the hotel. It is attached to the most important store for travellers, 7-11. Bank cards work in their atms but not in most others. I was exhausted after travelling 18 hours on Air Canada Rouge (no movies, no reclining seats, no free alcohol, no fun) but went to check out the vibrant area around the hotel while there was still daylight.

The area here along the riverbank is packed with shopping, restaurants, vending machines, clubs, and people. Huge moving signs attract you to the restaurants with cartoon depictions of their specialty. Most restaurants are tiny and serve mostly just one type of dish. Neon signs point out stores and boy bands.

The helpful hotel staff directed me to a restaurant where I sat at a lunch counter watching the chefs. The tempura shrimp and vegetables were amazing, with a tiny glass of beer to wash it down. Back to the rooms with a glass of Chilean wine from the 7-11.

The next day I wandered in the hotel area again, shopping and people watching, and eating otonomayaki the local specialty, kind of like a pancake with toppings. Back at the room I met my roommate, an elderly lady from Quebec who didnt know where Regina was, said it was ok that I didn’t have kids, and finally told me she was glad that I was her roommate, instead of someone young and fit. Ouch I don’t think we will be hanging out together much!

I’m on the G Adventures tour Japan Express. I met the group of 15 that night, from England, Ireland, Switzerland, US and Canada with leader Yoko from Tokyo, a tiny little lady.

In the morning before leaving, I walked along our street and it was much creepier than walking alone at night.  Well-dressed locals were just coming out of clubs, hanging out selling stuff, walking alongside me.  The guys reported being almost dragged into doorways by the girls.

The next morning we headed off with a backpack only to Koyasan, home of Shinto Buddhist temples. Buddhism and the Japanese only Shintoism coexist in this country. A train ride into the mountains, funicular up to the town, and bus to our stay in a monastery.

We did a walking tour of the main temples, most rebuilt after the wooden structures were lost to fire, but one standing built in 1197. Another temple had a zen garden, with large rocks and small stones surrounding them meant to represent the ocean and nirvana.

A few of us went for a walk in the cemetery towards the mausoleum of Kobo Daisha, the founder of Shintoism. Wealthy and famous people are buried here, such as the founder of Panasonic, with stone and wooden structures. The mausoleum inside a temple had elaborate golden decorations.

Back at the monastery we found that heaters and futons has been added to our almost empty rooms.   It’s chilly here in the mountains.  But to make up for it the high tech toilets have heated seats!We had traditional monk fare, vegetarian, on tatami mats on the floor. We are in slippers every where but on the tatami mats slippers aren’t even allowed. Japan has been hard on my socks, they have holes.

After dinner I went with a couple of the girls to the communal bath, where you shower while sitting on a tiny stool, then climb into the scalding hot bath. After that I struggled to stay awake in my cozy room on my soft bed on the floor.

Morning prayers by the monks in the main temple followed by a fire ceremony, then more traditional food, then bus funicular and train back to Osaka. There we switched to the Shinkansen or bullet train to Hiroshima.