Thank you very much for your participation

KCCN offers Wednesday Tours from April to October with the fee of 1000 yen per person.
Your donation covers both your transportation on the tour and the guides' transportation to and from Koyasan.
Unfortunately Japan has had a hard time on tourism because of many natural disaster and the accident of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant.

So many foreign tourists cancel their trip to Japan even here about 700km away from Fukushima.

We conclude Wednesday Tours of 2011 but we're still offering the Custom Tour which is planned out just for you depend on your itinerary and the interest any days of the year.
So if you ever come to Koyasan, please feel free to ask us. With our guiding you can enjoy Koyasan a lot more.

We're looking forward to seeing you anytime.

By KCCN staff

Rice Cake Scatter

In autumn in Koyasan, you may see many people gathering with some plastic bags or with a big apron spreading in front of the shrines. They are waiting for rice cake being scattered.
Appreciating the autumn harvest, they offer their harvest (mainly the products made of rice) in front of the shrine and share the great joy of the harvest.
So once you meet this occasion, why don't you try to join.
But I'm afraid you may be very surprised to see Japanese people having waited quietly for a long time suddenly changed into wild crowds only getting some rice cake.
Please protect yourself from excited Japanese who scramble for rice cake.（by KQ）

MEDITATION PRACTICE (ENGLISH)

September : Special Program


SEPTEMBER 7 (WED) 10:00~11:30 / 13:30~15:00
PLACE : DAISHI KYOKAI BUILDING

Introductory Meditation for beginners
MEDITATION & TALKING ABOUT BUDDHISM
BY A BUDDHIST MONK OF KOYASAN SHINGON BUDDHISM

ANYONE IS WELCOME IN THIS PROGRAM WITH
JPY2 ,000 PER PERSON

RESERVATION: 090- 1 486- 2 588
mail@koyasan-ccn.com

FREE GUIDED TOUR in English

August 13th

① Kongobuji & Garan tour for one hour．
Tours start every 30 minutes from 9:00 to 14:30．
② Okunoin tour for two hours.
Tours start 9:30 13:30．

*Meet at VIC ( the Visitor Information Center),
in the Daishi Kyokai building

Phone: 0736-56-2270 ／ 090-3263-5184

CANDLE FESTIVAL
( Okunoin Manto-kuyo-e)
19:00 Opening Ceremony at Ichi-no-hashi
19:00 Candles can be given for free at Okunoin
20:00 Magnificent ceremony at Lantern Hall in Okunoin

＊＊＝＊＝＊＝ NOTICE ＝＊＝＊＝＊
1. Smoking is strictly prohibited in the holy site of Okunoin,
including the approaches to the Kobo Daishi’s Mausoleum.

2. Please refrain from wearing temple-issued Yukata, or nightwear,
on entering the holy site of Okunoin.

3. Place the lighted candles on the aluminum foils along the approach.

4. The last bus bound for Koyasan Station leaves Okunoin-mae at 9:10,
which connects to the last cable car.

5. The last cable car leaves Koyasan Station at 9:40,
which connects to the last train bound for Namba Osaka.

! Don’t miss the last bus and the last train to Namba, Osaka!

AOBA-MATSURI FESTIVAL

AOBA-MATSURI FESTIVAL
Let’s Celebrate Kobo Daishi’s Birthday!


June 15 (Wed) FESTIVITY

9:00 Buddhist Service < Place: The main hall in Daishi Kyokai >
* Kobo Daishi Kukai was born in Sanuki Province (Kagawa prefecture in Shiokoku island) on June 15th,774. In order to celebrate his birth, this ceremony has been carried on every June 15th as an annual event of Koyasan, since 1778.
10:00, 11:00, 14:00 Gagaku
(Traditional Court Music) performed by Kanagawa Gagaku Club
< Place: Kongobuji >
11:40 Song of Prayer　
12:00 Wakayama Police Marching Band　　
12:00 #1. Marching band by Koyasan Elementary School Students
< From Ichinohashi to Kongobuji, or to Daishi Kyokai >
#2. Hanamido < Starat from Ichinohashi to Kongobuji >
* Hanamido is a small portable altar that enshrines Kobo Daishi in his infancy.
The procession of Hanamido parades along the main street together with other
decorative floats. The processional performance includes dancing and drumming as well.
Anyone can join in the “Local Dancing Team”

14:00 #3. Greetings < Parking lot in front of Kongobuji >
・ The Most Reverend Yukei Matsunaga,
the 412th Chief Abbot of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism
・ Takeji Kise,　a Mayor of Koya Town

EXHIBITION & SERVICES
9:00 Exhibition of Calligraphy, Photographs and Paintings of Buddhist art
< Place: Shinbetsuden in Kongobuji >
Flower Arrangement Display < Place: Betsuden in Kongobuji >
9:00 Tea Ceremony < Place: Okuden in Kongobuji >
* Open to the public. Tea is served for free.
9:00 Performance of Flower Arrangement & Tea Ceremony
< Place: Daishi Kyokai >

(( Admission to Kongobuji is free on June 15th ))

Not An Umbrella Stand

When you visit Koyasan, you may see this kind of stone stands at the entrance of temples.
In this rainy season, you are afraid of your umbrellas taken away by somebody by mistake and try to find the place where you leave your umbrella safely.
But do not put your umbrella in this stand.
This is not a trash can or the umbrella stand but is only set for keeping Kongozue, the special cane which pilgrims are carrying when they travel around Shikoku, the pilgrimage path.
So this stand should be kept clean and nothing else can be put and I hope you'll show your respect for that.

(By KQ)

June Event

Rainy season has just started.
It came more than 2 weeks earlier than usual.
In Koyasan, the greens are most beautiful in June and Kobo Daishi, Kukai was born in this beautiful season.

June 2 and 3
The Summer Prayer Ritual at Sannoin (at Garan) is to be held.
The main Buddha of Nan-in Temple left Nan-in around 8:15 in the morning and is moved to Sannoin. The procession which is followed by many worshippers is going to Sannoin (on June 2). The rituals are held at Sannoin from 9:00 on June 2nd and 3rd.

http://koyasanguide.blogspot.com/2010/07/special-summer-prayer-in-sannnoin.html

June 4
From 18:00, Sannoin Rissei Ritual is to be held at Sannoin.

June 14
Aoba Matsuri Festival to celebrate Kobo Daishi's birthday is to be held on June 15. On the eve of the day, around 18:00, you can see huge paper-made objects which are lit from inside by lantern on the streets of the town.

June 15
From 9:00 the celebrating ritual is held at Daishi Kyokai.
From 12:00, the parades for Wakayama Police Marching Band, local elementary school kids' drum and fife band, the floats enshrined Kobo Daishi in his infancy.

http://www.koyasan-ccn.com/event/eventcal.html#event6

(By KQ)

TyphoonⅡ(Songda)

May 29, 2011
This is almost the end of May. Although we didn't have enough time to enjoy warm spring days, the rainy season has set in. And, oh my!! A big typhoon is approaching to Japan. Now that, as of May 29 morning,the typhoon Songda is about 100 kilometers northeast of Yakushima, and approaching to Japan's main island at 55 kilometers an hour. Due to the approach of the typhoonⅡ, or Songda, the weather today is getting stormy.
Here are the warnings annouced officially this morning in Wakayama area.
* Heavy rain warning
* Flood warning
* High wind warning
* High seas warning

It is raining in Koyasan, but not windy so far.

Cherry Blossoms Are At Their Best

About 2 weeks ago, cherry blossoms in Koyasan looked like this and still it sometimes snowed.

But finally spring has come to Koyasan.
Unfortunately the weather forecast for today was not welcome as the holiday but the weather today was pretty busy to change all the time, sunny, cloudy suddenly stormy rain and windy.

Drooping cherry trees in front of Kongobuji look heavy but proud with lots of blossoms.

Many couples and families took pictures in front of cherry blossoms.
I'm sure cherry blossoms console and cheer people depressed these days and give energy for us to encourage people suffering from Tohoku Earthquake.

The last picture is famous as KASAZAKURA, umbrella shaped cherry tree which is said to be more than 400 years old. Toyotomi Hideyoshi praised and cherrished this cherry blossoms and left his Haiku poem.
"Ages pass, even an old tee has blossoms at their best in Koyasan."

(by KQ)

VIC -Even Closer to Help You-

Our VIC(Visitor Information Center) office is in Daishi Kyokai which is near Kongobuji, the head temple of Koyasan Shingon Buddhism, on the west across from the big parking lot.
But still not many tourists can't recognize what it is like.
This is the picture of the entrance of Daishi Kyokai. Please come inside.
From outside, it looked darker but please do not hesitate to come in.

Then you'll see the friendly symbolic character "KOYA-KUN". Please take the right hand entrance, you'll see our counter.




You can see warm-welcoming smile of our staff member on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from April to November. (From December to March, only on Wedmesdays and Fridays. Sorry for your inconvenience.) Unless you're lucky enough coming on the day we're not open, you can also contact us on either 090-1486-2588 or 090-3263-5184.

(by KQ)