I'm tucked in a futon in a Buddhist temple in Koyasan, a village in the mountains, and missing my tour mates. It was fun to amble around this tiny town, but I definitely missed the comraderie I've been so lucky to have from some amazing people. They should (almost) all be landing at home right around now, and hopefully getting some much needed rest and food. (I'm not sure any of us could stomach one more psycho viking, lol).
This week has been one of the most special ones of my life, and I will treasure all my memories. The best part of traveling for me is making memories with my family, and my tour mates all became my extended Japan family. I wish them all the luck in the world and hope this trip is one of many adventures for them.
And now for the pics! Koyasan celebrates its 1200 birthday this year, yay!
(Yet another of my posts was eaten by Weebly, so I'll have a lot more pics to post once I can get on a real computer and not just my iPhone.)
I cobbled together dinner from a soy milk I bought from a convince store and a bowl of white rice from a restaurant. And I liked the forest so much I went back again!
And as an explanation of why I'm going to bed at 8pm tonight, here's some karaoke pics!
Ridiculously fun night I'll never forget. From trying to book a room with staff who didn't know English to the drunk Japanese guy in the lobby chatting with us, to singing our throats off, the whole night was a riot.
And after walking around Kyoto for an hour in the freezing cold to spot a geisha, I saw one right outside the hotel in Osaka. It was such a shock and a delight. There's only 1,000 geisha in Tokyo, and they are incredibly private, so it's not common to see them. We think this was a real one (and not just a tourist dressed as one) because our guide said tourists amble and pose for pictures while real geishas rush because they're very busy. This woman was hauling it and her whole vibe was so delicate and poised you couldn't helped but be mesmerized. It's like seeing a unicorn (not that kind of unicorn, B!). I only got a shot of her back as she zoomed past us.
Or maybe she was a tourists dressed up. Who knows, but it was a magical night either way. Ok, times to get some zenful sleep before morning prayers. Back to Kyoto tomorrow for a couple days, and then I'll be home Monday afternoon.