Koyasan 1

After the massive dinner I needed a walk for sure. So Raffa and I went to stroll around the Okunoin. It's a cemetery and sacred area with over 200,000 gravestones and memorial pagodas. For imporatant historical figures to commoners. Most old but some new. There was one from Nissan that was a shrine with its logo on it which made it kinda funny.

This is called a stupa with 5 parts representing: earth, air, fire, water, and space. There were many if these in the cemetery. 

There was some pretty impressive figurative sculpture.

And some characatures.

Almost looks like a young Yoda.

And let's not forget the Buddha

And the goofy Nissan shrine

And some had obviously been there for a very long time.

It started to get dark. Making picture taking futile, but the frogs started to sing. Incredible! Something between a creaking door and song. Well it seems that I will have to upload the video when I get to a computer. But here's a frog we noticed while walking though I don't think he was one our our singers.

And then something incredible happened that neither of of knew was possible. Over our heads we heard the angry chittering of squirrels so we looked up only to see the squirrel leap body splayed ears flapping 25 feet to another tree! Our mouths were agape!  We stood there for a while watching them leap tree to tree and then as we were walking out one flew not 10 feet over our heads! No pictures because it was too dark but totally amazing!

We continued to the far end and we came upon Kobo Daishi Gobyo (mausoleum of kobodaishi). it is surrounded by 1000 year old cedars and a stream.This one was lit up with a ton of lanterns. So beautiful.

A closer look

And this is Raffa. He is from Mexico City, but is going to Paris France for grad school in the fall. Mom had always wanted to get back to Paris as well. She went to boarding school in France as a young child. Raffa generously agrees to bring one o the marbles there with him and leave it somewhere special. He will send me a picture when he does. So mom guess what, you get to go back to France too.