Japan 🇯🇵 - Koyasan

Tips 👏

• Most accommodations here are Shukubo (temple lodgings), which means strictly adhering to their schedules. Curfews are usually around 9:00 PM or 10:00 PM.
• Bring warm clothes as Koyasan is high in the mountains and gets significantly colder than Osaka or Kyoto.
• If you plan to walk the cemetery at night (which you should), carry a bear bell. The area is surrounded by deep forest, and bears are active in the region.
• Morning prayers start early, usually between 6:00 AM and 6:30 AM. It is optional but highly recommended for the full experience.
• Parking is available at most temples, but the roads to get there can be narrow and winding.

🏠 Accommodation

We stayed at Koyasan Saizenin, a temple lodging located right near the entrance to the Danjo Garan complex. We booked this in advance as popular temples fill up quickly, on their website directly for a cheaper rate.

The room was a traditional Japanese style with tatami mats and futons. It was simple, serene, and incredibly quiet, overall more comfy and spacious than we thought! There was also shared Japanese bath available.

🚗 Getting there

We rented a car from Toyota Rent-A-Car at the Shin-Osaka station. The 1.5h drive up the mountain is scenic but involves a lot of winding roads. Having a car gave us the freedom to move between the main town and the Okunoin cemetery entrance easily, though the town is also walkable if you have the time.

⏱ Duration

We stayed for one night and two full days (arriving Thursday morning, leaving Friday morning). One night is the standard duration for Koyasan. It gives you enough time to see the major sites, experience the night atmosphere at the cemetery, and join the morning prayers before heading to your next destination.

Exploring the Holy Mountain ⛩️

Koyasan is the center of Shingon Buddhism and feels worlds away from the neon lights of Osaka. After driving up the winding mountain roads, we arrived and immediately set out to visit the main temples.

We explored the Danjo Garan complex, which is one of the two most sacred sites in Koyasan. The atmosphere here is incredibly peaceful, even with the big cars full of tourist getting in and out.

We then strolled in the tiny village, making our way to Daimon Gate at the entrance of the city, historically guarding the entrance.

Okunoin Cemetery 👻

The absolute highlight of the trip was Okunoin, honestly one of our top favourite place in all Japan. We drove to the entrance and walked through this massive cemetery, which houses over 200,000 graves and the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi.

Walking through the towering cedar trees and moss-covered stone lanterns was amazing. We visited once during the day to see the details with the day light, and then returned at night to see the stone lanterns lit up, creating a very mystical scenery. Remember to take the bear bells with you!

Morning Rituals 🙏

We woke up early the next morning to participate in the morning prayer service at the temple, that including sacred chants, incense and burning wood in the traditional fashion. Being not strongly spriritual that's usually the kind of thing we stay away from, but was nice to witness once during our trip.

Hope this was helpful, you can ask us any questions on Instagram.