The start of our G Adventure tour and we are heading to Koya-san, the home of Buddhism in Japan by public transport.

Before leaving our hotel in Osaka we had a team group photo to celebrate the adventure that awaits us.

The mornings journey was all about different modes of transport, starting with a gentle half mile walk to the subway station, before picking up a tube for 2 stops, before transferring to a local train for 50mins.

After coming to the end of this line, we changed to another train for a further 45mins, before finally transferring to a funicular for a 15min ride to the summit of Mount Koya.

We then had a short walk to tonights accommodation, a Buddhist Sekishoin monastery in the foothills of the mountain.

After settling into the monastery we then went on a hike around the centre of Shingon Buddhism and Okunion Cemetery. This is Japan’s largest where thousands of tombstones and memorials line paths through the forest.

Once we entered the cemetery we were struck by how tranquil the surroundings were, as we followed the path to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism.

It’s a serene and spiritual place and had an aura that acknowledged its long history and the many people that are buried in amongst the great tall cedar trees.

The many shrines and graves are dotted for what seemed like miles in between the majestic 500yr old trees.

The moss growing on the monuments and memorials created a mystic feel that was other worldly and beautiful.

Within all this history and grandeur was a strange array of memorials paid for by major corporations, including UCC (a tea company), Panasonic and a company that makes parts for rockets. You couldn’t make this up, an unusual addition to the cemetery grounds.

After the walk, it was then time for a change into our kimonos in readiness for a vegetarian dinner at the monastery.

We enjoyed shojin ryori at our temple lodgings which was a real treat. We tried our best to taste everything on offer, despite some of the tastes being a little unexpected and not to our liking.

Post dinner it was time for origami and some paper craine making. Thankfully we both managed to make something that vaguely looked like a craine, well we think they do!!

Before hitting the sack, we went for a temple walk to visit the Kongobu-ji temple grounds and marvel at the impressive traditional architecture, painted in vivid orange.

Next door is the Garan sacred area where there were a collection of stunning temples and pagodas, offering a real cultural and religious experience.

Tomorrow we return to Osaka before catching the bullet train down to Hiroshima and a visit to Peace Memorial Museum and the Peace Park.