We got off the Koyasan bus and dragged our luggage to Fukuchi-In. It’s a Shukubo, the Japanese temple lodging in which we would be staying the night. Yes, we were staying overnight in a Buddhist temple, an actual temple with live-in monks. It is a lovely place with serene vibes. We stored our luggage and ordered room service for the cheapest dinner, which cost us 3000 Yen (my two days travel meal allowance).
Fukuchi-In Shukubo in Koyasan Japan
We explored the Fukuchi-In, being awed and took pictures of new things. Behaving exactly like tourists. After a while, we got tired and decided to check out the in-house onsen.
Onsen
Soaking in the hot spring water in our Shukubo was heavenly. We were completely relaxed. After a while, we were getting hungry, so we returned to our room.
To our pleasant surprise, dinner had been served.
Shojin Ryori – A Delicious Japanese Temple Cuisine
I had been looking forward to this Shojin Ryori, Japanese temple cuisine. Shojin Ryori was a traditional temple cuisine, a vegetarian Buddhist monk meal. On that evening, our Shojin Ryori was mostly tofu and vegetable-based.
And it was also prepared by the temple monks – what a privilege – truly!
Everything on the tray looked mouth-watering even though it was cooked without oil and no garlic was added. A lovely dessert followed dinner. Everything was absolutely delicious. The Shojin Ryori definitely once in a lifetime meal experience. Kind of like the time I had sushi for breakfast at Sushi Dai, Tokyo.
Sleeping at the Shukubo
We pulled out of the futon, and I was getting ready to sleep when I checked my phone and saw two messages from my Jik and Fafa. Both were asking when am I coming back and that they missed me. I replied and told them about my day. In short, how awesome it had been.
The next day they held a morning prayer at 6 AM, and guests were welcomed to join and observe. After that, we had another round of onsen, ate breakfast, and stored our luggage at the entrance. We would be going to Danjo Garan before leaving for Tokyo.
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[…] in Shukubo – Japanese temple lodging. […]
[…] by my stay in Koyasan with two of my best friends years ago. We had Japanese temple cuisine, Shojin Ryori, during our stay in the Shukubo (temple lodging) […]
[…] Koyasan had a calming effect and definitely an interesting experience. For tickets do get a Koyasan World Heritage Pass, it will cover temples and the graveyard entrance fee in Koyasan as well. If you have an extra day or two in Japan, do visit and stay in a Shukubo. […]