waking up at 5 on a dark saturday morning is usually a terrible idea. please let this be one of the few exceptions. i put on some clothes, strap on a backpack, and catch the first train out of town. koyasan (高野山), the capital of japanese buddhism, here i come!
after an hour and a half train ride i meet up with friends with a car, and we begin our epic road trip. unfortunately, as we near the top of the mountain, we suddenly find ourselves in a very dangerous situation. snow begins to line the winding road. before long, the pavement gives way to ice. when our small car begins to slide on a particularly slippery patch, we make the smart decision to immediately turn around and go back. road trip fail :(

we drive back down the mountain and head for the nearest train station. three trains, a cable car, a bus, and about four hours later, we finally arrive at the top of koyasan.
our long and dangerous journey ends as we start walking through a snowy picturesque landscape. we slowly make our way through the beautiful snow to the buddhist temple where we'll be staying for the night.
a very nice monk hands us slippers and takes us to our room. after we make ourselves some green tea to warm up and unwind, we head back downstairs for some legendary 精進料理 ("shojin ryori", buddhist cuisine). this delicious and 100% vegetarian meal might just be the best part of the whole trip. while i eat, i contemplate when i can afford to come here again because the food is just THAT good.
we all hop in the 露天風呂 ("rotenburo", outdoor public bath) to relax after dinner. sitting in a hot onsen (温泉) on a cold snowy night is one of the best feelings one can experience, period.

the next morning we wake up early again (5:30am!!) and head downstairs to observe the monks' morning rituals of chanting sutras, burning incense, bowing, and many other buddhisty things. we eat another shojin ryori for breakfast, and then leave our temple to explore the town. we spend hours walking in a gentle snow storm through okono-in (奥の院), a famous buddhist cemetery, and the garan (伽藍), a complex of pagodas, temples, and statues.
we have to leave the mountain fairly early due to the 10 hour commute some of us have to sit through before we can be back "home". personally, i cant wait until i have the time, money, and friends to do this exact trip again.