thursdaysd

Thanks for such a detailed, helpful report. I'm starting to plan for a trip to Japan in the fall - I hope it will be a bit warmer at Koya-san - and followed your travels with interest. You are clearly a stellar planner!

gertie3751

I have really enjoyed reading this. It brought back all sorts of memories. And you are so enthusiastic and positive. Obviously had a great time.
Thursday have you thought of staying in temples during your trip? Can be cold but the food is out of this world and it's a unique experience.

thursdaysd

gertie - yes, I'm planning to stay overnight at Koya-san, at least. Hadn't thought about doing more temples than that - I'm a bit leery of too much veggie food, since I have borderline hypoglycemia and need regular protein intake - I know tofu is protein, but I'm used to animal protein as well.

hawaiiantraveler

Shojin-ryori is the name of the cooking done at the Buddhist Temple Ryokans of Koya-san. It was brought into Japan via China and Korea together with the introduction of Buddhism. There are pictures of the foods on the TA site if you are interested.

Yes they do use tofu at temple stays but not in the state in which you are used to seeing it. Yuba is the main tofu dish that Mrs. HT just loves. I on the other hand like some yubas and not others. I guess it just depends on what they cook it with to me. I love the texture of it though.....
I remember being told by someone that yuba was the staple of the temples in the old days Kyoto and Nikko and in fact only the monks of these two areas were permitted to make and eat it. Some yuba recipes date back centuries. Times have changed....

Aloha!

citiboy50

Thanks for all of the detail. I will incorporate some of it into our impending trip. I also admit to using the enemy-Frommers.Fodors and Frommers have served us well throughout our travels.