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The next morning, we woke up at 6:00 so that we could attend Kumagaiji’s Buddhist ceremony at 6:30. It was an interesting experience - as we entered we were given some incense to rub on our hands and a shawl reading “Koyasan” to wear around our necks. Then, we took seats among the other people who had stayed the night at the temple, several of them still wearing their pajamas. The ceremony began with chanting and a series of ritual motions in front of the altar, conducted by the head priest. At the very center of the altar was a miniature version of Konpon Daito, a two-storied pagoda in Koyasan that we would see later that morning. It is considered the center of the lotus flower created by the eight mountains surrounding Koyasan and is thus the sacred center of Shingon’s most sacred site:

The second part of the ceremony was a sermon, given in Japanese of course, by the head priest. While I certainly didn’t understand complexities of the sermon, I do know that he discussed religious beliefs all over the world, religion in Japan (or its supposed lack there-of), and the failure of some major temples in Japan in fulfilling their social purpose. He seemed particularly unhappy with Tokyo’s Sensoji. Of course, he finished with a sales pitch for Shingon including recommending a video on Kukai’s life. After the sermon, we stood in the footprints of the Buddha and walked around the altar before returning to our rooms where we were served breakfast of miso soup and rice.

After saying goodbye to our hosts at Kumagaiji (and paying them the $100 per person they charged for hosting us) we headed out to do some final sightseeing in Koyasan. Notable sights included Konpon Daito (shown above) and Kongobuji (Shingon’s main temple) which had several beautiful gardens:

After stopping by the Tokugawa memorial where both Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Hidetada are enshrined, we got back on the cablecar down the mountain and headed for Nara:

Nara is about 50 km away from Koyasan, but because of the windy mountain tracks and frequent stops, the trip took nearly three hours. After arriving in Nara, we immediately joined the crowds and headed to Todaiji, the largest wooden building in the world, and home to Nara’s daibutsu - the largest Buddha statue in Japan. The statue represents Dainichi Nyorai (Sk. Vairocana), the eternal manifestation of Gautama Buddha in the Lotus Sutra and the incarnation of the dharmakaya. It was impressive, to say the least, but the throngs of Golden Week tourists took away some of the atmosphere that must usually exist in Todaiji. Todaiji and the daibutsu:

At the back of Todaiji is a large pillar with a hole through it, which is said to be exactly the same size as one of the daibutsu’s nostrils. On a less busy day, anyone might be seen squeezing through the hole, as climbing through it guarantees enlightenment. However, since it was Golden Week only children were climbing through it and the line was ridiculously long: