While the cemetery complex is probably the star attraction at Koya-san there are certainly plenty of other temples and assorted religious sites. Danjogaran Temple is the head temple of the area, but that is not the reason Zach and I paid the admission fee.
Inside there was a room where some not terribly famous noble commited seppuku. This was enough to get the blood-thirsty American tourists to drop in for a visit. While we never pinpointed the exact room, I guess it had been cleaned in the intervening centuries, the temple was very beautiful and well worth the tour. And hey, included in the admission was a cookie and some tea.
This giant Pagoda stood out, but it too (alas) had an admission fee and we decided that paying 200 yen to look at MORE Buddist art was just not a compelling idea. I think with pagodas, unless you can go to the top, the outside is far more interesting than the inside.
We also swung by the Tokugawa family mausoleum but it was much less interesting than we expected. I mean for the family grave of the people who ruled Japan for two hundred years, you'd expect a bit ... More. I mean yeah I know they have the entire Nikko compex, but only Ieyasu and his grandson are buried there.
After getting up so early and walking around all morning on a breakfast of miso, rice , and pickled veggies we were ready for something with oomph.
So we hit up the Osaka branch of Outback Steakhouse for my second steak in a year. Yes, it was heavenly. I think I need to visit Osaka more often!
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