Guests at Ichijoin (高野山 一乗院), a “Shukubo” Temple Lodge (宿坊), Koyasan, Wakayama (和歌山県高野山), have the opportunity to witness the Monks go about their “Otsutome” morning ritual (朝のお勤め.) If you’d like to attend the prayer session, you’ll need to get to the Hondo Main Hall (本堂) at 6AM.
Staying in a Shukubo is a great way to get a sense of the traditional lifestyle of Buddhist Monks in Japan, as well as enjoy Shojin Ryori (精進料理), a traditional vegean (although some are vegetarian) Buddhist devotional cuisine that has been perfected by Monks through the years (over 1400 years, to be a bit more precise.) Aside from participating in the Otsutome morning prayer, guests at Ichijoin can also partake in Shakyo (写経 – Sutra writing), “Shabutsu” (写仏 – a kind of Buddha sketching) and “Ajikan” (阿字觀), which is a type of Buddhist Yoga. All in all, a very unique cultural (and spiritual) experience, and is definitely worth staying at one of the 50+ Shukubo that populate the Koyasan area.
Alo Japan.