Koyasan Travel Guide - Best things to do in Koyasan Japan

When traveling to Japan, you can't help but be attracted to the big city lights of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka. The big three are the usual attention grabbers for most visitors. But if you're looking for something different, something far away from the manic hustle and bustle of modern city life, then seek towards the misty and mystical mountains of Wakayama. This is where you can find Koya-san. Before we begin, there are a few things you need to know about Koya-san. Koya-san is located just south of Osaka, and is the common name for a large temple settlement nestled away in the northeastern mountains of Wakayama. It's primarily known for being the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism. Shingon Buddhism and Koya-san was founded by Kobo Daishi in 816 AD. Since the establishment of the original temple complex, hundreds of temples have followed suit. Koya-san gradually grew and led to the development of the small town known as Koya, which even features its own university dedicated to religious studies. In 2004, UNESCO designated Koya-san as a World Heritage Site. Today, many people visit Koya-san to not only enjoy its temples and natural sights, but also to reconnect with themselves, spiritually or otherwise. So should you visit Koya-san? Although Koya-san is arguably one of the most sacred and religious sites in all of Japan, you don't necessarily need to be religious or spiritual to enjoy what this place has to offer. Yes, there are going to be many temples and optional activities of religious nature, but if you can look past that and simply immerse yourself in the environment, you'll find that Koya-san is truly a beautiful and very special place. I recommend spending at least two days and one night in Koya-san to get the most out of your visit. What's the best season to visit Koya-san? I visited during the autumn season in mid-November, but you could honestly visit Koya-san during any season. If you're into warmer weather, then come during the summer or spring. If you want to experience Koya-san as a winter wonderland, then come during the winter months. There really is no bad time to come and visit. The easiest way to reach Koya-san is by train. From Namba Station in Osaka, you can hop on board the Nankai Koya Line, which will take you all the way down to Gokurakubashi Station. From there, you'll take a cable car that leads you right up to Koya-san Station, where there'll be several buses waiting to drop you off at your nearest accommodation. The Nankai Koya Line is served by four train lines. The local line, the express line, the rapid express line, and the limited express. The three main stations that most people use to get on the Koya Line are Namba Station, Shin-Imamiya Station, and Tenka-Chaya Station. All trains require a transfer at Hashimoto Station, except for some rapid express trains, as well as all of the limited express trains. If you want to save money and you don't mind the longer travel time and need for a transfer, then go with the local express and rapid express trains. The limited express line is however the fastest way to reach Koya-san, as it connects directly to Gokurakubashi Station with no transfers. But it's also the most expensive option, as you'll need to pay an additional fee on top of the regular fare. But if that's not a concern and you just want the fastest and easiest way to reach Koya-san, then consider the limited express. You may also consider two rail passes, which covers the full transportation from to and during your stay in Koya-san. The two are the Kansai Thru Pass and the Koya-san World Heritage Ticket. The Kansai Thru Pass is worth considering if you plan to visit other places in the Kansai region or if you're staying for more than two days in Koya-san, while the Koya-san World Heritage Ticket is ideal for a two-day stay and if you're planning to visit the attractions using the discount rate included with the pass, as you'll save around 15% over buying regular tickets. As for accommodations, you generally have two options. The first one being guest houses. Guest houses are the most affordable option. They are pretty much in a sense like a hostel, where you'll be sharing any common facilities with other guests. And you'll most likely be sleeping in a bunk bed or capsule pods, but some do come with private room options. If you're interested, then check out the Koya-san Guest House Koku. Your second option is a shukubo or a temple lodging. And it's definitely the pricier option here, but it provides a unique opportunity to stay at a temple, where you can participate in the morning prayer led by the monks working at the temple and other activities such as sutra copying and meditation. We stayed at a temple called Saizen-in and it was a wonderful experience. If you're looking for other temple lodging options, then you may consider Eko-in, Yochi-in, and Fudo-in. I will be listing all the recommendations in the description box below. We board the limited express line at Namba Station with our Koya-san World Heritage Tickets, which dropped us off at the Gokurakubashi Station. So we're just here at the Gokurakubashi Station and we're waiting for the cable car, which will take us up to Koya-san, where we'll spend a day and a night at a shukubo, which is a temple stay. Looking forward to the experience in the fall. Leaves are coming in and looking pretty damn splendid. Here comes the cable car. Once you arrive in Koya-san, I recommend spending your time exploring the town and its many sites, but if you're looking for some inspiration, here are a few places that I enjoyed. The Danjo Garan Temple Complex is the center of Koya-san. The two most prominent buildings being the impressive Kampon Daito Pagoda and the Kondo Hall. Besides the two main buildings, there are also several smaller temples and monuments scattered around the complex for you to explore. The Great Daimon Gate. Located on the western side of Koya, the gate stands 25 meters tall and marks the entrance to Koya-san. The Rehokan Museum. The museum was built to house and preserve the many religious and cultural treasures of Koya-san. You can also find the Togugawa Clan Mausoleum, which enshrines the founder of the Togugawa Shogunate, Ieyatsu, and his son, Hidetada. It was built by the third Togugawa Shogun, Iemitsu, in order to have his family be close to the Kobo Daishi. The Kongobuji Temple. It was first constructed by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to commemorate the death of his mother, but was later merged and reorganized as the head temple of Shingon Buddhism. The temple is known for its long corridors, exquisite rooms, and its famous Banryute Rock Garden, the largest rock garden in all of Japan. It is said to represent a pair of dragons emerging from a sea of clouds. While staying at a Shukubo or temple lodging is an optional activity, I still highly recommend doing so as I believe it's quite the essential experience to have for anyone visiting Koya-san for the first time. It's a unique opportunity to get an insight into the life of a Buddhist monk, and some of the establishments here are quite beautiful in their very own peaceful and simple way. A unique experience that comes with a stay at a Shukubo is the experience of a Sojin Ruri, a traditional Buddhist meal. This is our vegetarian meal, basically our vegetarian temple meal while we're here in this temple lodging. But yeah, this looks pretty nice. Well, better than the vegetarian food I've tried at some other temples. But yeah, looking sweet. The meal consists of a multi-course vegetarian dinner similar to a kaiseki style dinner that you might find outside of Koya-san. And last but not least, we have Okinoin Cemetery. All right, so this is Okinoin Cemetery, and this is probably the main thing to visit when you're in Koya-san. This is Japan's largest cemetery featuring over 200,000 grates and memorials ranging from feudal lords to locals in the region as well as, interestingly enough, some companies I've seen. But I think if you're here in Koya-san, you can't miss coming here because this is a very serene and peaceful place. And sort of, the whole town itself sort of centers around this place. I think coming here is quite the experience in itself. I know it sounds a bit funny when you say come and visit the cemetery, but it's a totally different mood and vibe coming here. It almost seems to be sort of a peaceful, serene experience compared to maybe the gloom sort of nature of what you would think of when you're thinking about the cemeteries and graveyards and stuff. So, highly recommend you come here. Highly recommend spending a good hour or so just exploring and taking in the different sights and sounds of this place. While in Okinoin, you may want to visit the Mizumuke-jizo. Visitors make offerings and throw water at the statues as a way to pray for departed family members. This is also where you'll find the Gopyo-bashi bridge which leads to the Kobo-daishi mausoleum. It is said that Kobo-daishi rests here in eternal meditation as he awaits the arrival of the future Buddha. It's also important to note that it's strictly forbidden to take any videos or photos beyond the bridge. As for additional activities, if you're able to, do consider joining on the night tour of Okinoin Cemetery which is organized by Ikkoin Temple. You can join on the tour even if you're not staying at the temple and as mentioned earlier, do also visit the Kobo-daishi mausoleum as well as the eternally lit lantern hall, Toru-dō. Lastly, if you're into walking, then hop on the nearby women pilgrim's course that leads around the outskirts of Koya-san. So there you have it. That was my guide to Koya-san, probably the main highlight of my recent trip to Japan. The place is so beautiful, so serene, just a very very special place to be in and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to experience it and share it all with you guys. If you're planning to visit Koya-san yourself, then I hope this video has been helpful and if you're on the edge about deciding to come and visit or not, then yes, do it. Come and visit. You won't regret it. If you're looking for additional information and helpful links, then do remember to check the description box below as I will be posting some extra info down there. If you have any questions or feedback, leave them in the comments below and I'll try to get back to them. This is Alan. Thank you for watching this video. Safe travels. Until next time.