A Day at Mt Koya

On the third we took the train up to Mt Koya. It's a famous Buddhist town about 40 minutes in the mountains from our house. Mt Koya is the oldest Buddhist settlement in Japan, and was established in 819, and is a World Heritage Site. It is now the home of many temples that train Buddhist Monks, and a popular place for Japanese followers to come and worship. The charm of Mt Koya? It is high in the mountains so has the most beautiful scenery and is about 10 degrees colder than the valley. This means it is cool in summer and snowy in winter. The whole town functions for the Buddhist temple, so it feels like you are going back hundreds of years. There are no people on the streets after 6 pm because they are all in the temples having dinner. It reflects a deep part of Japanese culture.

Mt Koya WebsiteOn the train enjoying the scenery.

This is the cable car taking us to the top of the mountain.

What a slope!

Some of the trees there are a thousand years old. Dad was impressed with the size of them.

Icicles forming on the temple roof. We were so lucky to have snow the day we went, it had just snowed 3 days before we went there. It was a perfect day.

The water had frozen on the fountain as it came out.

Jo enjoying a snow fight.

The best thing about Japan, is finding a vending machine in even the most remote places. There is nothing more perfect than having a warm drink in your freezing hands on a cold winters day!

The corn soup is just what you need! Yep, that's corn soup in a can HOT! Yum!

Ken and Jo making snow angels in the snow.

The water on the lake had frozen over.

Jo and Shibby drove up together in the BMW. The road is very windy and tricky in places, Shibby had a ball racing the car up there without Renee throwing up beside him!

Yeah, there is nothing like snow to make the kids happy.

Ken enjoying a BBQ sweet potato....ouch ouch.hot!