Temple Lodging in Koya San, Japan

Koya San, Japan is the seat of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism and is shaped like a lotus flower, eight peaks surrounding a valley.

In November of 2007, I and four of my friends bathed like sardines packed in spring water at Shojoshin-in, a temple in Koya San. We were on a study trip with our teacher, Kiiko Matsumoto, to study with her teacher Kawaii Sensei and some of her colleagues, lead by the fearless Emilie Connor. It was an amazing experience, especially on the bathing front!

At Shojoshin-in, we stayed in traditional Japanese style on tatami mats, wearing yukata, sitting for morning meditation with the monks, and enjoying amazing, gorgeously-set vegetarian meals.

These images are from http://shojoshin-in.blogspot.com/.