Temple life and knifemaking near Osaka A trip to Koyasan and Sakai japan-guide.com

Long-held traditions and traditional craft techniques make up an important part of Japanese heritage, and these can be seen in the festivals, religious rites, and even in regular everyday life. From cooking to forging blades, many of these traditional skills have prevailed through the centuries and can still be seen today. My name is Raina Ong, staff writer for japan-guide.com, and in this video, we'll be going on an overnight trip going behind the scenes of Here's the plan. On day one, we start our trip in central Osaka and take the train to Koyasan, where we'll stay overnight in a temple lodging on the mountain. On day two, we head down to Sakai in southern Osaka, which is famous for knife making, before heading home. So follow along as we go on an overnight trip to Koyasan in Osaka to learn more about Buddhist cuisine and forging blades. Day one. Our trip begins at Namba station in central Osaka, where we take the Nankai Koya line to Gokurakubashi station, then the cable car to Koyasan, and lastly, a bus into the town center. We'll first visit a sweet shop and a sesame tofu shop, then participate in a Buddhist fire ceremony before making our way through one of the world's largest cemeteries, then learn more about Buddhist cuisine at our temple lodging on the mountain, where we'll stay overnight. I'm at Gokurakubashi station now, and I'm going to change to the cable car to get to the top of Koyasan. Koyasan is a sacred and highly revered mountain which is intricately linked to Shingon Buddhism, an important Japanese Buddhist sect. The mountain is where Kobo Daishi, the sect's founder, rests in eternal meditation, and pilgrims, both past and present, use centuries-old hiking trails on their journey to pay their respects to him. The quiet temple town at the top of the mountain is where the sect's headquarters are located, as well as a vast cemetery containing Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. Those who visit Koyasan will be struck by the reverential atmosphere that surrounds the temple town, and one of the best ways to fully experience Koyasan, in addition to visiting the main temple and Kobo Daishi's mausoleum, is to stay overnight at a temple lodging offered by the numerous temples which allows for an opportunity to experience temple life. My journey in Koyasan starts with a walk through the temple town. Local snacks which have nourished weary pilgrims for centuries can be found along the way. One such snack is the Mirokuishi, which is filled with sweet red bean paste. It is named after the Miroku Buddha and shaped after the stone the Buddha rolled down from paradise, and touching that stone is said to bring good fortune. This shop has been in business for about 150 years and it's the creator of the Mirokuishi which I have in my hands right now. I'm gonna take a bite. Another is sesame tofu, which is typically one of the dishes in Buddhist cuisine and also a popular souvenir from Koyasan. The smooth tofu square has a sesame aroma and a nutty flavor. Despite having the word tofu in its name, sesame tofu does not contain soybeans. I visit a well-loved sesame tofu shop which makes sesame tofu with only three ingredients, sesame, water, and kuzu root. Right beside the approach to Okunoin is Shojo Shinin Temple, which offers daily gomataki ceremonies. Participants can write their wishes on the special goma wooden sticks and then offer them to the Fudo Myoho Buddhist deity during the ceremony, which can be quite an experience in itself. I watched the ceremony for a while before making my way to Okunoin. I'm at the entrance to Okunoin and it's about a two kilometer walk in here to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum where he's said to be resting in eternal meditation. Let's go! Okunoin is the heart of Koyasan and a still and tranquil atmosphere fills the air there. It is the largest cemetery in Japan and some of the tombstones date back a few hundred years. Tall cedar trees and tombstones line the approach all the way to the back of the cemetery where Kobo Daishi's mausoleum is located. No cameras are allowed beyond this bridge so I'll leave you here to pay my respects. After that visit to Okunoin, it is time to head to my temple accommodation. Temple lodgings are simple accommodation facilities that offer visitors a glimpse of traditional temple life through eating Buddhist cuisine and practicing mindfulness through the various temple activities offered. Buddhist cuisine or shojin ryori is vegetarian dishes eaten by monks. Ingredients often include seasonal vegetables as well as seaweed, mushroom and beans which are prepared and cooked in a variety of ways to create delicious dishes that don't make one miss meat or seafood at all. One of the dishes commonly found in shojin ryori is a small square of smooth sesame tofu which is usually made in-house. Staying overnight at a temple lodging means having vegetarian Buddhist cuisine for dinner. We've got some grilled tofu, vegetable tempura, hot pot and sesame tofu over here. Sesame tofu is so good. After dinner it is time for a bath and an early night as I'll be joining the morning prayers the next day. Day two. We start with morning prayers at our temple lodging then continue our journey by descending the mountain and heading to Sakai in southern Osaka by train. There we'll have lunch at a tea shop, visit a forge and have dinner at a local restaurant to wrap up the trip. Good morning. It's almost six and the morning prayer is about to begin. Getting up early might be a challenge for some but joining this activity can create a time and space to practice a bit of mindfulness at the start of the day. And after that great start of morning prayers and a simple breakfast it is time to make our way down the mountain and go to the city of Sakai in Osaka. The city is renowned for being a major producer of knives forged the traditional way as well as being the birthplace of Sen Norikyu, the founder of the way of tea practiced today. My first stop in Sakai is a Tsuboichi tea shop which has been a local tea specialist since the mid-19th century. Featuring centuries-old material from the original shop which burned down during World War II save its original signboard. The current shop offers a cozy dining space infused with history and character. Another highlight at Tsuboichi Saryo is its savory meals made with tea, something which is not easily found and should not be missed. And that's what I'm gonna have. I'm here at Tsuboichi Saryo a local tea shop in Sakai where I'm gonna have lunch. This rice porridge here is cooked with roasted green tea and the other dishes here are also cooked with tea. Oh wow this is pretty good. It's nice and warm and it tastes just like tea. Sakai is one of the major knife-making regions in Japan and has over 500 years of history forging blades the traditional way and made in Sakai blades are highly regarded in Japan. The art of forging blades in Sakai is a traditional cultural heritage and each blade is handmade by artisans who have trained for years. Along with kitchen knives Sakai is also a top producer of gardening tools like scissors and shears each item an elegant work of art in itself. Following lunch I make my way to Sasuke Smith one of the local blacksmith forges in Sakai. Their main focus is producing gardening blades like shears and scissors for bonsai and flower arrangement but they also make kitten knives and smaller blades. A tour of the forge allows visitors to see the process of making knives up close and learn more about the intricacies and techniques that go into forging these beautiful tools. At the end of the tour there's a short hands-on session to use the knives and scissors forged at Sasuke. Beside me is the master craftsman and he's currently making a sashimi knife and the level of detail and amount of skill that goes into making one is simply incredible. After that amazing experience to see a knife artisan at work and doing a bit of knife shopping it is time to wind down for the day. I'm off to a cozy sake bar in Sakai for some drinks and food. The place offers a nice selection of regional sake as well as from the rest of the country and cooked to order small dishes that pair well with them. And that was our overnight trip learning about buddhist cuisine and knife making in Koya-san in Osaka. Thanks for joining me, I hope this video has been enjoyable and perhaps even inspires some ideas should you decide to plan an overnight trip in Japan. For more information about this trip or to watch another video click the links on the screen now or head over to japan-guide.com your comprehensive up-to-date travel guide firsthand from Japan. Thanks for watching, be sure to subscribe and click the notification bell for more videos about Japan. Happy travels!