Our night at Shojoshin-in and visit to Okunoin was a transformative experience. My first thought after being shown our room on the second floor of the temple was that it must surely be the most beautiful place on earth! It was so quiet and peaceful that it was almost surreal. The incredible gardens rose up the mountainside and seemed to... More

To be frank, I am astonished this ranks at the top spot. I have just spent a night at Ekoin which was head and shoulders above this place & had I known would've spent both nights there. A brief comparison shows what I mean: Ekoin ¥10,000 - for this you get at least a third more food and the food... More

The visit at Koya-san was one of the highlights during our stay in Japan. Shojoshin-in is very peaceful and the vegetarian food was delicious, amoung the best food we had in Japan. Our large room faced the nice garden. We joined the monks for their morning prayer at 06:00, then had breakfast, again very good food and then walked up... More

An incredible experience, probably the best experience of my stay in Japan. Koyasan is a little off the beaten track, and requires a train, cable-car and bus to get there, but it is well worth it. If you are using the Japan rail pass, this trip will not be covered. You can however purchase a Koyasan world heritage pass at... More

It is the highlight of my Japan trip. You will find the peace in the monastery as soon as you walked in there. Morning Buddhist ceremony was a life experience. Vegetarian diet was another amazing experience in the temple, everything was prepared in perfection...Evening meditation in our own room (Monks kindly supplied the heated blanket so kept me warm while... More

In my opinion this is the best temple to sleep in Koyasan. Quite big and there is very cold inside, but it's part of this place. You can join to monks to their prayer soon morning. It's nearest 'hotel' to Okunoin cemetery and their dinner is fabulous.

Best part of our trip to Japan. The monastery is beautiful and peaceful. Went with my husband and sons ages 10 and 13. Had a beautiful series of rooms, food was good (though the children were not quite ready for an only vegetarian diet). The morning ceremony was moving an beautiful, not to be missed. Also an easy walk through... More

We recently spent one night at this temple lodging in Mt Koya. The building has lovely road appeal with very well maintained gardens. Our room was very spacious, with a lovely garden view and very comfortable futon. As it was still very chilly, there was a heater in the room which kept it nice and cosy and the monks even... More

One of the most beautiful steps of our 3 weeks trip around Japan. The rooms are really beautiful. The atmosphere is incredible and so calm. The food was served in a really pretty private dining room and was one of the most amazing meal we had in Japan. The morning prayer must be seen! If we have to find negative... More