Okuno-in

As the sun was setting, Mike and I walked through a cemetery to Okuno-in (inner sanctum) where Kukai's mausoleum is held. Kukai is a saint who brought Shingon Buddhism to Japan in 806. In 816, he established the first monastic complex in Mt. Koya. In front of Kukai's mausoleum is the Toro-do (Lantern Hall). Inside 11,000 lanterns burn. I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but trust me there were a lot of lanterns. The pictures I could take, however, can't even show how awesome the walkway up to the mausoleum was. Since it was getting darker out, there was an eerie glow in the forest as we were walking through with thousands of tombstones surrounding us. Plus, everything was so old and covered with moss that it looked like it was straight out of a movie. I wish I had better pictures to capture that moment.