Saganoseki, Oita Prefecture, Kyushu
Around this time last year, I decided to take on a second job in order to save up money for another trip to Japan. I studied abroad in Kyoto for two terms about two years ago and enjoyed traveling to several places like Hiroshima, Osaka and Tokyo. I was on a tight budget back then so I could not go to the other islands. I really wanted to travel around the island of Kyushu as well as participate in a temple stay. So this year in July, I did just that ^_^v I stayed in Japan for about three weeks. The first week, I did a zen retreat at a Buddhist temple in a small village called Saganoseki in the Oita Prefecture of Kyushu. The last two weeks had me in various cities in Kyushu and then up in the main island of Honshu.
It was my first time doing a temple stay and I was not so sure of what to expect. I decided to stay in a smaller more private temple where I could truly experience an authentic monastic life. I absolutely loved my time there. It was difficult at first, but by my fifth day, I did find some sort of peace and calm within myself. Jiho-san was the resident monk and was a very understanding and easy-going person. Including myself, there were a total of four people at the retreat: a gentleman from New York, a young man from Denmark and a wonderful lady from the Czech Republic. We began our day with the morning chants at 5:30, followed by zazen (seated meditation) for about an hour. Jiho-san followed the Nishi Health System so we all had to fast till lunchtime. Being a morning person, waking up at 5:30 was no problem; but not being able to eat until 11:30 was brutal for the first few days. We did house chores and helped with the cooking as well as go to the onsen (hot springs) in the afternoon. Once in awhile, we went sightseeing around the Oita Prefecture. I would love to go back and I intend to in a couple of years!
back entrance to the temple
front entrance to the temple