Mount Kōya is the name of the mountains in the Wakayama Prefecture towards the south of Osaka, Japan.
The first sight we explored upon reaching the top of Mount Kōya was the Okunoin Cemetery.
Mount Kōya is also called Koyasan, and it is the birthplace of Shingon Buddhism in Japan.
The graveyard contains over 200,000 extraordinary gravestones and is a very sacred place for the followers of Kobo Dashi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism.
I'm actually not the biggest fan of cemeteries, I find them depressing. However, I did wanted to document the sight as it is so unique and culturally significant.
Reaching the top of Mount Kōya
This was truly an adventure! The bus drivers that drive this mountain route are very skilled.
Many of the switchbacks only had room enough for vehicle, let alone a bus. Vehicles would often take turns on the tight switchbacks.
There were a few moments when everyone was marveling at how close the bus was to the edge.
Stay tuned for more posts on our adventures at Mount Kōya. Including staying overnight at the Shukubu Buddhist Temple and seeing gates and pagodas.
Michelle and I took a month to travel across Japan and China this past May. It was epic! Follow me @slickwilly and Michelle @curiouser for posts about our adventures!
Hi there, I’m Will. First and foremost I am an entrepreneur and voluntaryist. I aspire to help build a more free world, one that we all want to live in.
Some of my biggest passions include cryptocurrencies, marketing, finance, cannabis, traveling, bodybuilding, snowboarding, motorcycles, and Subarus.
All pictures are my own, taken with a GS7 Edge or GoPro Hero 4. I release everything under CC0 unless otherwise stated.
My website: williamjohnsonlong.com