Koyasan

Ivar Hagendoorn -

Koyasan or Mount Koya is the site of a large temple settlement about 50km south of Osaka. One of the highlights of Koyasan is the Okuno-in, Koyasan's cemetery, a wonderful, mysterious forest lined with giant, several hundred year old Japanese cedar trees and over 200,000 tombstones and Buddhist memorials. I stayed overnight at one of the temples offering accommodation, which was an interesting way to get a more close-up view of life inside a Buddhist temple. Koyasan lies at an elevation of 800 meter above sea level. There's a cable car that leads from the nearest train station to the top.

I heard footsteps behind me and quickly stepped aside to let the monks pass
Same spot without the monks

More Japan! The Tsukiji Fish Market before it closed for good, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.