5 Best Sights in Koya-san, Nagoya, Ise-Shima, and the Kii Peninsula

If time is limited, head for this memorial park first. Many Japanese make pilgrimages to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi or pay their respects to their ancestors buried here. Arrive early in the morning, before the groups take over, or even better, at dusk, when it gets wonderfully spooky.

Exploring this cemetery is like peeking into a lost and mysterious realm. Incense hangs in the air, and you can almost feel the millions of prayers said here clinging to the gnarled branches of 300-year-old cedar trees reaching into the sky. The old-growth forest is a rarity in Japan, and among the trees are buried some of the country's most prominent families, their graves marked by mossy pagodas and red-robed bodhisattvas.

You can reach Okuno-in by way of the 2½-km (1½-mile) main walkway, which is lined with more than 100,000 tombs, monuments, and statues. The lane enters the cemetery at Ichi-no-hashi-guchi; follow the main street straight east from the town center for 15 minutes to find this small bridge at the edge of the forest.

The path from Okuno-in-mae ends at the refined Toro-do (Lantern Hall), named after its 11,000 lanterns. Two fires burn in this hall; one has reportedly been alight since 1016, the other since 1088. Behind the hall is the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi. The hall and the mausoleum altar are extremely beautiful, with subtle lighting and soft gold coloring.

Every year, a million visitors pass through Koya-san's Great Gate to enter the sprawling complex of 117 temples and monasteries. Traveling to Koya-san takes you through mountain wilderness, but the town itself is sheltered and self-contained. The main buildings are imposing, while the minor temples are in a wide range of styles and colors, each offering small-scale beauty in its decor or garden. Monks, pilgrims, and tourists mingle in the main street, the sneaker-wearing, motorcycle-riding monks often appearing the least pious of all.

On the southwestern side of Koya-san, Kongobu-ji is the chief temple of Shingon Buddhism. It was first built in 1592 as the family temple of Hideyoshi Toyotomi, and rebuilt in 1861 to become the main temple of the Koya-san community. The screen-door artwork and Banryutei landscaped rock garden, the largest in Japan, are both well worth the admission fee.

Chosen from the museum's 78,000-piece collection, you'll find more than 5,000 well-preserved Buddhist relics on display here, some dating back 1,000 years. The New Gallery houses themed exhibitions of sculpture, painting, and artifacts. The Main Gallery has a permanent exhibition of Buddha and bodhisattva figures and calligraphic scrolls. The museum sits across the road from the Danjo Garan.

The most striking of Danjo Garan's outsized halls is the 147-feet tall Kompon-daito (Great Stupa). This red pagoda with an interior of brightly colored beams contains five large seated gold Buddhas. Last rebuilt in 1937, the two-story structure has an unusual style and rich vermilion color. From Kongobu-ji, walk down the temple's main stairs and take the road to the right of the parking lot in front of you; in less than five minutes you will reach Danjo Garan itself.