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long-held traditions and traditional
craft
techniques make up an important part of
japanese heritage
and these can be seen in the festivals
religious rights and even in regular
everyday life
from cooking to forging blades many of
these traditional skills have prevailed
through the centuries and can still be
seen today
my name is rayna ong staff writer for
japanguy.com
and in this video we'll be going on an
overnight trip going behind the scenes
of cooking buddhist cuisine
and knife making
here's the plan on day one
we start our trip in central osaka and
take the train to koyasan where we'll
stay
overnight in a temple lodging on the
mountain
on day 2 we head down to sakai in
southern osaka
which is famous for knife making before
heading home
so follow along as we go on an overnight
trip to koya-san and osaka
to learn more about buddhist cuisine and
forging blades
day one our trip begins at namba station
in central osaka where we take the
nangkai koya line to gokurakubashi
station
then the cable car to koyasang and
lastly a bus into the town center
we'll first visit a sweet shop and a
sesame tofu shop
then participate in a buddhist fire
ceremony before making our way through
one of the world's largest cemeteries
then learn more about buddhist cuisine
at otemple lodging on the mountain where
we'll stay
overnight
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i'm at goku rakubashi station now and
i'm going to change to the cable car to
get to the top of koya-san
khoyasan is a sacred and highly revered
mountain which is intricately linked to
shingon buddhism
an important japanese buddhist sith the
mountain is where kobodaishi the sixth
founder
rests in eternal meditation and pilgrims
both past and present
use centuries old hiking trails on their
journey to pay their respects to him
the quiet temple town at the top of the
mountain is where the six headquarters
are located as well as a vast cemetery
containing kobodaishi's mausoleum
those who visit koyasan will be struck
by the reverential atmosphere that
surrounds the temple town
and one of the best ways to fully
experience koya-san
in addition to visiting the main temple
in kobadaishi's mausoleum
is to stay overnight at a temple lodging
offered by the numerous temples which
allows for an opportunity to experience
temple life
my journey in koyasan starts with a walk
through the temple town
local snacks which have nourished weary
pilgrims for centuries can be found
along the way
one such snack is the miroguishi which
is filled with sweet red bean paste
it is named after the miroku buddha and
shaped after the stone the buddha rolled
down from paradise
and touching that stone is said to bring
good fortune this shop has been in
business for about 150 years
and it's the creator of the mirokuishi
which i have in my hands right now
i'm gonna take a bite another sesame
tofu
which is typically one of the dishes in
buddhist cuisine and also a popular
souvenir from koyasan
the smooth tofu square has a sesame
aroma and a nutty flavor
despite having the word tofu in its name
sesame tofu does not contain soy beans
i visit a well-loved sesame tofu shop
which makes sesame tofu with only three
ingredients
sesame water and koozie root
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right beside the approach to okunoin is
shojoshiyin temple
which offers daily gomataki ceremonies
participants can write their wishes on
the special goma wooden sticks
and then offer them to the fudomiyo
buddhist deity during the ceremony
which can be quite an experience in
itself
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i watched the ceremony for a while
before making my way to okunoin
i'm at the entrance to okinawan and it's
about a two kilometer walk in here to
kobodaishi's mausoleum where he's said
to be resting in eternal meditation
let's go okanowin is the heart of
koyasan
and a still and tranquil atmosphere
fills the air there
it is the largest cemetery in japan and
some of the tombstones date back a few
hundred years
tall cedar trees and tombstones line the
approach all the way to the back of the
cemetery
where kobadaishi's mausoleum is located
no cameras are allowed beyond this
bridge so i'll leave you here to pay my
respects
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after that visit to okunoin it is time
to head to my temple accommodation
temple lodgings are simple accommodation
facilities that offer visitors a glimpse
of traditional temple life
through eating buddhist cuisine and
practicing mindfulness through the
various temple activities offered
buddhist cuisine or shojin diori is
vegetarian dishes eaten by monks
ingredients often include seasonal
vegetables as well as seaweed
mushroom and beans which are prepared
and cooked in a variety of ways to
create delicious dishes
that don't make one miss meat or seafood
at all
one of the dishes commonly found in
shojinyori meals in koyasan
is a small square of smooth sesame tofu
which is usually made in-house
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staying overnight at a temple lodging
means having vegetarian buddhist cuisine
for dinner
we've got some grilled tofu vegetable
tempura
hot pot and sesame tofu over here
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sesame turf was so good
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after dinner it is time for a bath and
an early night as i'll be joining the
morning prayers the next day
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day two we start with morning prayers at
our temple lodging
then continue our journey by descending
the mountain and heading to sakai in
southern osaka by train
there we'll have lunch at a tea shop
visit the forge
and have dinner at a local restaurant to
wrap up the trip
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good morning it's almost six in the
morning prayers are about to begin
getting up early might be a challenge
for some but joining this activity can
create a time and space to practice a
bit of mindfulness at the start of the
day
and after that great start of morning
prayers and a simple breakfast
it is time to make our way down the
mountain and go to the city of sakai in
osaka
the city is renowned for being a major
producer of knives
forged the traditional way as well as
being the birthplace of saint noriko
the founder of the way of tea practiced
today my first
stop in sakai is the dubois gt shop
which has been a local tea specialist
since the mid-19th
century featuring centuries-old material
from the original shop which burned down
during world war ii
save its original signboard
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the current shop offers a cozy dining
space infused with history and character
another highlight at tsuboitisario is
its savory meals made with tea
something which is not easily found and
should not be missed
and that's what i'm going to have i'm
here at tsubuychisario a local
tea shop in sakai where i'm gonna have
lunch
this rice porridge here is cooked with
roasted green tea and the other dishes
here are also cooked with tea
oh wow this is pretty good it's nice and
warm and
it tastes just like tea
sakai is one of the major knife making
regions in japan and has over 500 years
of history forging blades
the traditional way and made in sakai
blades are highly regarded in japan
the art of forging blades and sakai is a
traditional cultural heritage
and each blade is handmade by artisans
who have trained for years
along with kitchen knives sakai is also
a top producer of gardening tools like
scissors and shares
each item an elegant work of art in
itself
following lunch i make my way to sasuke
smith
one of the local blacksmith forges in
sakai
the main focus is producing gardening
blades like shears and scissors for
bonsai and flower arrangement
but they also make kitchen nice and
smaller blades
the tour of the forge allows visitors to
see the process of making knives up
close
and learn more about the intricacies and
techniques that go into forging these
beautiful tools
at the end of the tour there is a short
hands-on session to use the knives and
scissors
forged at sasuke besides me is the
master craftsman and he's currently
making a sashimi knife and the level of
detail
and amount of skill that goes into
making one is simply
incredible
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after that amazing experience to see a
knife artisan at work
and doing a bit of knife shopping it is
time to wind down for the day
i'm off to a cozy sake bar in sakai for
some drinks and food
the place offers a nice selection of
regional sake as well as from the rest
of the country
and cooked to order small dishes that
pair well with them
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and that was our overnight trip learning
about buddhist cuisine and knife making
in koyasan and osaka
thanks for joining me i hope this video
has been enjoyable and perhaps even
inspire some ideas
should you decide to plan an overnight
trip in japan
for more information about this trip or
to watch another video
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