Day 2 of Koyasan began early in the morning at the shukubo, the temple lodging, with an early morning call to prayer at 6:30am, followed by breakfast. This day would be quieter than the previous, with a more somber feeling.
Our way through Okunoin was made much better with a guide. Thankfully, she helped us understand some difficult shingon buddhist teachings along the way, stopping to explain the gorinto (a five-layer gravestone) or how a single flower shares a life similar to ours.
Most of the morning was spent on a quiet walk through 200,000 gravestones, and eventually to the sacred temple, where Kukai (also known as Kobo Daishi) is resting in eternal peace. You'll see photos of students purifying their hands before entering Okunoin, and then a few pictures along the way. As we reached the top, we were asked not to take pictures of the sacred area.
A quick return to our shukubo to pick up our luggage, a hop on a bus, jog down to the cable car, and then an hour ride on the trains back to Osaka, and we arrived home around 5:00 in the evening on Friday, tired. :)
