Have you been seeking a refuge from the stresses of Tokyo life? Japan's temples offer lodgings to the weary traveller or Tokyoite that can refresh your body and spirit like nothing else. Niall O'Keeffe makes a pilgrimage to Koya-san to get a taste of shojin ryori and beginner's mind, stopping on the way to visit the Momoyama treasures and the most coveted cemetery in Japan.

The community of temples atop Koya-san

Muslims have Mecca, Christians have Bethlehem, and Jews have Jerusalem. Travel 90 minutes by train from Osaka to Wakayama Prefecture and you will reach Koya-san, where thousands of Japanese descend annually in the hope that they will be touched by the spirit of Kobo Daishi, the Buddhist saint whose tomb lies at the top of the mountain.

Kobo Daishi is the posthumous name of a monk named Kukai. According to legend, a local kami, disguised as a hunter, ordered his two hunting dogs, one black and one white, to lead Kukai to this hidden valley in Wakayama. In 816, Kukai duly founded a monastery at the top of Koya-san and made it the headquarters of his Shingon Buddhist sect.

By the Edo period there were a thousand temples on the mountain. Today, only 123 remain. Fifty-three of these temples are shukubo, providing lodging for pilgrims and tourists. I had heard very good reports about shukubo and was determined to stay at one before I left Japan.

Coveted plots at Okunoin cemetery

Guidebook in hand, I flew down to Kansai International Airport, stayed the night in Osaka and took a morning train from Osaka Namba station to Koya-san. The JY1100 ticket covered both the train ride to Koya station and the subsequent cable car ride to the top of the mountain. The community of temples at the top of the mountain are served by a tourist bus which, for a charge of JY360, will drop you off at the temple you have reserved. Yochiin, the shukubo I was staying at for two nights, was a ten-minute bus ride from the top of the mountain.

When I arrived, the place was eerily silent, save for the scrubbing of the wooden exterior corridor by one of the apprentice monks. There was no reception desk to speak of, but there was a bell. After giving that a tug, a young monk came along and took me to my room. In the middle of the room was a kotatsu table, a necessity even in the summer, as at the top of the mountain it can get quite chilly in the evenings. On a desk on the balcony lay an introductory guide to Buddhism in English and Japanese. I read that in Japan the phrase shoshin, or "beginner's mind," is all-important. In the beginner's mind, "there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind, there are few." I took this advice to heart and decided to read only the first chapter. Another apprentice monk interrupted my journey to enlightenment by asking what time I wanted my dinner served.

The food at Koya-san is shojin ryori, which literally translates as "devotion food" and is strictly vegetarian - no meat, fish, onions or garlic. Having set my meal time, I decided to wander out for a stroll. Very close to Yochiin lies Kongobu-ji, the temple which serves as headquarters of the Shingon sect. Founded in 1593 by Hideyoshi in memory of his mother and rebuilt in 1863, it contains original Momoyama period screens by Kano Motonobu, Tanyu and Tansai. The kitchen contains huge ovens capable of feeding thousands of monks. The large wooden barrels on the roof of the main hall and kitchen are kept filled with water to douse fires. Admission costs JY350 and includes a cup of tea and rice cakes served beside the stone garden.

Near Kongobu-ji is the garan, a complex of sacred halls which, like many of the sacred shrines in Japan, are regularly rebuilt, and the site of Kukai's original monastery and seminary. Kukai's original garan consisted of the Kondo (Main Hall), the Dai-to (Great Pagoda) and the Sai-to (West Pagoda). The Dai-to corresponds to the Taizokai (Womb) Mandala, while the Sai-to depicts the Kongokai (Diamond). Roughly, the Dai-to represents the world of action, the Sai-to the world of wisdom, and the Kondo their union. I had planned to also visit the Reihokan (Treasure Museum) which exhibits a wide selection of Koya-san's art treasures collected over the past thousand years, but as my hosts were cooking up a storm I had to get back "home" to sample the fare.

The meal, served in my room, was exquisite and beautifully arranged. The local specialty, koya-dofu (tofu), was delectable even to my untrained palate. After downing the various vegetable side dishes, I felt surprisingly full. As I had to rise at 6am (this is optional) for morning services, I decided to call it an early night.

The following morning, I was joined by about twenty Japanese pilgrims and we made our way to the service. We were not required to sit in full zazen position, but rather in a kneeling position with our heels tucked under us. The head monk commenced the service by burning small sticks and chanting mantras. Then we had to get up and move to the center of the temple where Buddha's statue was. As I gingerly arose, I noticed that I wasn't the only one with pins and needles in my feet. The younger Japanese in the congregation obviously seemed as unaccustomed as I was to this particular sitting position.

The head monk, bedecked in colorful robes, turned his back to us and began chanting Sanskrit mantras. I didn't join in. As I observed the service, I couldn't help but ponder the similarities between it and Roman Catholic services in the fifties before Vatican II was introduced. Just as with this Buddhist monk, priests in Ireland, where I am from, would have their backs to the congregation and conduct the service in an ancient language, Latin.

After the service, a communal breakfast was served and again the food was excellent and filling. I decided to set out for Okunoin cemetery - the main attraction of Koya-san - in the east of the mountains. From the center of town, Okunoin is a 2km bus ride. One option, which I took, is to get the bus there and walk back. Alighting at Ichi-no-hashi-mae, I crossed Ichi-no-hashi bridge and made my way along a winding stone path lined by cypress trees with thousands of tombs on either side. This is the place to have your ashes laid to rest. Famous historical figures such as Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Taira no Kiyomori chose Okunoin as their final resting place. Large corporations such as Toyota have company tombs where the remains of employees (sometimes just a lock of hair) are interred so that they can be close to Kobo Daishi and the eventual return of the future Buddha. The beverage company UCC's presence was also in evidence with a gigantic coffee cup and saucer atop its company tomb. Seeing the plethora of blue-chip companies represented, I wondered if graduates of prestigious universities in Japan seek out companies whose ultimate retirement package includes burial at Okunoin.

The tomb of Kobo Daishi lies just beyond Mimyo-no-hashi bridge. Before crossing, pilgrims ladle water from the river and pour it over one of seven bronze Jizo statues, the bosatsu who saves souls in Purgatory. After crossing the bridge, you are in the inner sanctum. The Gobyo (Kobo Daishi's mausoleum) lies behind the Toro-do (Lantern Hall), where hundred of lamps burn, including two which are believed to have been burning continuously for the past nine hundred years.

It is believed that in this hall the Daishi is still alive and in deep meditation awaiting the arrival of Miroku (Maitreya, the Buddha of the future). Every day, food is offered to him at 5:40 and 11am. I decided not to ask the monks present whether the food was ever eaten.

Returning on foot back to town confident in the knowledge that the Dashi now "walked with me," I strolled out to the Daimon (Great Gate) which marks the traditional entrance point to Koya-san for pilgrims journeying on foot. On a clear day the view is spectacular and it is possible to see as far as Shikoku.