Mt. Koya 高野山, or Koya-san, is a range of mountains in Wakayama that is known as the headquarters of the Koyasan Shingon sect of Buddhism. The area is home to several sacred sites with a small remote temple town that has developed around the sect’s headquarters that Kobo Daishi built on Koyasan’s wooded mountaintop.
Koyasan is also the site of Okunoin, Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum, and the start and end point of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.
There are limited accommodations on Mt. Koya, Shukubo Temple Lodging is a interesting way to spend the night on this amazing site. Around fifty temples offer this service to both pilgrims and visitor, here are some good ones Lodging in Mount Koya
TripAdvisor review:
“A wonderful mix of the beautiful and the eerie. I could walk around in here for hours.
Surrounded by 100 year old cedar trees and consisting of over 200,000 tombs and monuments for the deceased. It’s like nothing else I’ve ever experienced and would not hesitate to recommend and go back to visit again.
I was lucky enough to go on a night walking tour run by a monk and one of the temples, if you get this opportunity then definitely go! It was informative and interesting and he had a good sense of humour.” –Rhiannon K from Australia
Lodging in Mount Koya
Lodging in Mount Koya
A Japanesesearch.com contributor wrote about their 2 day stay on Mt. Koya which may inspire a trip here.
