Craving A Bacon Butty...

Greetings from Nara.

The monks in the hills did have the internet after all but I couldn't log in to my blog, so two days worth again today.

Checked out of Tokyo early yesterday and made out way up some very steep hills to Koya-san which sits in between 8 mountains, the highest of which is Mount Koya. Koya-san is home to about 150 monasteries and temples. We stayed in the temple below last night.

There is a huge cemetery at one end of the town which is lined with huge cedar trees. At the end of the cemetery is an amazing shrine with thousands of lanterns inside and the wafting smell of incense burning. The was chanting going on when we were there and it really sent a shiver down the spine.

Woke this morning at 5.50am to a monk banging a bell. We were called to morning service at 6.30 followed by a fire ceremony at 7.

Low point of the day was someone stealing our umbrella from a temple when it was pouring with rain. Looks like there are more than two Scousers in Japan.

After a quick walk around Koya-san we took a long way round trip (not intentionally) down through the clouds to Nara.

We've just got back from visiting a huge temple with a giant Buddha inside. The temple was rebuilt many years ago and is now only 2/3 the size it was. We were the last ones out and managed to get pictures of the temple without any other tourists in the way.

One of the columns at the rear of the temple as a hole in the bottom the same size as one of the Buddhas nostrils. It's said that any one that can fit through the hole, with be enlightened. Kids get through easily but neither I or Claire are enlightened.

The grounds of the temple are patrolled by herds of deer with apparently mystical powers.

Rest of tomorrow in Nara and then a late flight home from Osaka