KOYASAN Day Trip: The best day trip of my life.

KOYASAN Day Trip: The best day trip of my life.

[Music] w [Music] [Music] oh wow kyaan is incredible I’ve never been anywhere like it kisan has irrevocably changed my idea of what a peaceful place [Music] is our journey began in the Namba station near the dobur area where we were staying in Osaka we purchased roundtrip tickets for the non Kai train the cable car and the bus we would use in kosan as we approached the non Kai train I could feel the excitement building up inside of me the anticipation of escaping the city buzz and delving into the Tranquility of kosan had me on the edge of my seat of course I absolutely loved the Train the transition from the urban sprawl of Osaka to the picturesque Countryside was like stepping into a different world [Music] [Music] the lush green fields the quaint Villages and the distant mountains painted the landscape as the train glided along the [Music] tracks [Music] we wrote the nankai train climbing up Mount Koya to the gorak kabashi station gorak kabashi literally means Bridge To Paradise in Japanese reflecting the spiritual significance of the destination that it serves from there we took a thrilling cable car ride that transported us up a steep incline another th000 ft in elevation to the summit of Mount Coya this journey offered stunning views of the surrounding landscape and was an integral part of the overall experience of visiting the sacred site of kosan upon arriving at the kosan station our journey wasn’t over yet we still had to take a bus to the heart of kosan and our first stop was Oken onean Oken Juan is a place where history spirituality and nature intertwin like nowhere else we stepped on the ancient stone path that led us through the dense forest these trees have been there for centuries and you can feel the weight of history in the air I felt a connection to the past and the people who walked this path before us it made me reflect on the transient nature of life and how we leave behind just the fous trace of our existence we came across countless gravestones and memorials including those of historical figures and even Samurai it’s fascinating to see how these monuments stand the test of time reminding us of the people who shaped Japan’s past as we wandered the ancient grounds the outside world and time itself just melted away creating an ethereal experience which I haven’t felt [Music] since [Music] [Music] here [Music] h [Music] here the pathway winds 2 km deep into the forest where to ends at the most revered pilgrimage destination in Japan a sacred place where shingan Buddhist worship rays of sunlight pass through the ancient cedar trees bathing this space in dappled light the faint smell of incense punctuates the Earthly scent of the forest a place where the sound of rustling leaves blend with a distant echo of prayer chance a short distance away is the goob Bashi Bridge the goob Bashi bridge is what separates the rest of okena from the inner Temple grounds the inner Temple grounds is where the maum for Koba dasi lies in life his name was kukai the maum is the most revered pilgrimage destination in Japan kukai was a highly educated monk who established shingan Buddhism in Japan after returning from China in the year 806 it said that Kai has not died but is in a state of Eternal meditation in the forest of Mount Goya crossing the bridge I felt a symbolic transition from the ordinary to a space of deeper meaning my words cannot even begin to explain how incredible this space is and I can’t show any photos of it neither photography is strictly forbidden once you cross the gashi bridge and I’m okay with that I think some places on this Earth are so sacred that only the people that make the pilgrimage should be able to experience them and I think these places should be protected from the disruptions of Instagram photography after letting time slip away no we took the long route out of the woods to catch a bus to see some of the numerous ancient temples of kisan the first was the kabji temple which was first constructed in 1593 and is the head Temple of shingan Buddhism in kosan the grounds were beautiful and the architecture was interesting we didn’t spend much time there because I wanted to make sure we could see the Grand pagota and the surrounding grounds when we were done exploring the kabji temple we made our way up the beautiful path leading up to the Grand Pagoda the surrounding area is home to numerous temples the pagodas with their gracefully teared roofs and integrate wooden carvings stand as Timeless symbols of Buddhist tradition we wandered for hours as the Serene Atmosphere accentuated by The Gentle rust of leaves and the distant temple bells created a sense of Tranquility that we were able to get lost [Music] [Applause] [Music] in [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] having more time in kosan would have been ideal but travel is a game of opportunity every place you go and visit is at the expense of visiting another place having said that our time in kosan was incredible and I’m never going to forget that day and I’m certainly going to enjoy watching this video again in my old age [Music] all

Koyasan Japan day trip from Osaka was absolutely incredible. I’ve been nowhere like it. We visited the Okunion Cemetary, The Kobo Daishi mausoleum, the Kongobuji temple, and the Grand Pagoda. I would love to go back someday.

Just an FYI: We’ve primarily used Klook to book our activities in Japan. And I was able to get Klook to provide an exclusive promo code for a 10% discount for new customers and a 3% discount for existing customers. Click the link below and enter (MMTRAVELJOURNAL) in the promo spot when booking an activity.

https://affiliate.klook.com/redirect?…

Klook does have some conditions:
The total must be at least $50 USD.
$50 USD is the maximum discount.
You can use the promo code 5 different times.
The discount will be shown on the payment page.

We’ve also found Get Your Guide is easy to book activities as well.
https://getyourguide.tp.st/7iNsaX3i

Also, I’ve spoken with several people who have been using pocket WIFI and other mobile WIFI services while in Japan. Don’t do that! It’s not cost effective compared to other options, plus you have to carry around a wifi device in your pocket. I highly recommend using an ESIM. An ESIM is an electronic sim card on your phone. An ESIM will get you as much 5G data as you want – and you can always add more. We have an international phone plan with our wireless carrier, but we still prefer to set up a local ESIM on our phones when we’re travelling. The data speeds are faster and way cheaper. Plus you won’t have your data speed throttled if you use too much in one day. I don’t even bother connecting to hotel WIFI anymore, and I still enjoy doing things like watching Youtube videos in bed. I’ve used many different ESIM plans. I’ve found some work better than others in certain countries. For example, I use Holafly when I’m in Mexico. And for Japan, I’ve found Ubigi is the best. It provides broad 5G coverage for as little as $4 USD.
Check out the specific Japan data plans with the link below.

https://few.cellulardata.ubigi.com/?P512C3F58404D191&redir=https%3A%2F%2Fcellulardata.ubigi.com%2Fdata-plans-and-coverage%2Fubigi-esim-data-plans%2F%3Fdestination%3Djpn%26region%3D%26currency%3DUSD%26one-off%3Don%26annual%3Don%26origin%3Dhp%23table-plans-view

If you’re interested, below is the camera equipment I used to make this video.

Canon EOS R6 Mark II https://amzn.to/4gYGXBS

The Lens I used most of the time was the RF 24-70 https://amzn.to/3zI1BWj

I used the RF 16mm prime in a few shots. I like bringing this one on all my trips because it’s super wide, cheap, and doesn’t take up much room. https://amzn.to/3U3ZMcW