This was a journey not just of miles, but also time, more than a millenium. We began with a day of immersion in the remote mountain village of Koyasan. Our lively local docent relayed the history of Kobo Daishi, who brought Buddhism to Japan 1200 years ago, when the Imperial Court of Japan gave Kobo Daishi permission to build this extensive monastic training complex deep in the mountains, isolated from distraction.