Spirited Away

I inhaled deeply, letting the sweet yet acrid tobacco wash over my lungs as the not yet noon sun beat down on my head. It was surprisingly warm for April in Japan. I was standing outside the entrance to the Okunion Mausoleum at Mount Koya, just south of Osaka. As I blew out the smoke, I chuckled to myself – noting the irony of me smoking and my early arrival at the grave. It took me two and a half hours from my base in central Osaka to get to the entrance; a trip that involved a peak hour, packed like sardines subway trip, two trains across rural and mountainous Japan and a red, ricketty cable car ride on an impossibly steep and almost vertical track.

An older couple appeared out of nowhere and ambled past me towards the entrance. I hid my cigarette, for some reason feeling embarrassed. They looked in my direction, smiled and said something in Japanese. I smiled back and found myself bowing slightly. I watched intently as they performed a mini ritual of scooping spring water from the nearby well, washing their hands with it and bowing before they crossed the bridge marking the end of the street and the start of the mausoleum. I finished my cigarette and performed the same mini ritual, paying my respects before crossing the bridge.

10 steps in and the temperature drops considerably. Heatless sunlight streamed through the branches of the trees, creating friendly shadows and artificially highlighting points of interest. I inhaled deeply, breathing in fresh cedar and moss and wondered why my “Nature” air freshener in my car back home didn’t smell like this. As I walked on a cobbled path, tombstones rose from the ground like mushrooms to my left and right. Small ones, big ones, new granite monoliths amongst old, damp and crude constructions of wood, layered in moss.

I inhaled deeply.

After spending a week in the crazy hustle and bustle of central Osaka, I was alone, and it was...beautiful. In Japan, even if you’re visiting a temple; most of the time, you’re jostling for space and peace amongst a never ending and ever growing crowd of tourists. Mount Koya was my perfect palate cleanser, that fresh minty hit after the first few chews of gum.

I inhaled deeply.

I was reinvigorated, I was recharged and I was inspired. I wanted to hug a tree and poke some moss. My senses were heightened and I felt like I had just stepped into a scene straight from Spirited Away.

I Inhaled deeply and felt the most connected I’ve been to Japan since arriving.