If there’s one thing I recommend for your trip to Japan, it’s spending the night (or multiple nights!) at a Buddhist temple in Mt. Koya, especially if you’re a vegan or a vegetarian as temple food is all plant-based. We did a temple stay on our trip to Japan and loved every minute of it from our room to the food to the peaceful surroundings. Read all about our experience and why you should add a Mount Koya temple stay to your Japan itinerary, especially if you’re looking to get a bit off the beaten path.
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Importance of Mt. Koya
Mt. Koya also known as Koyasan is one of the most sacred places in Japan and the center of Shingon Buddhism, which is a type of Buddhism that was brought to Japan in 805. This small community is located in a remote wooded area on top of a mountain, and is a haven for those interested in Buddhism, history, and nature.
Most travelers headed here do a temple stay which normally includes a traditional Buddhist dinner, breakfast, and morning prayers. Some temples also offer meditation to their guests.
Getting to Mount Koya
It took us two trains, a cable car, and a bus to get to our temple in Mount Koya from Tokyo. While that may sound like a lot, it was actually a really seamless journey.
Public transportation in Japan is really efficient and we were amazed at how easily we were able to get to such a remote location.
You can make the journey to Mount Koya from Osaka, Kyoto, or Tokyo. We personally did 5 days in Tokyo then 2 days in Kyoto and then went from Kyoto to Mt. Koya.
As it really depends on where you’re traveling from, what I would recommend you do is pull up Google Maps and enter “Gokurakubashi Station” which is the end of the train line in Koyasan. Then, head to the train station it recommends you start with and go to the information desk and ask for help getting tickets to Koyasan.
You don’t have to go to the information desk as you could technically purchase each ticket separately but we found that they were able to bundle the tickets all together for a cheaper price and we were all set for both of our trains, the cable car, and the bus. This made our journey that much easier so I think this is the best way to get your tickets!
Once you’re on the train towards Koyasan, be sure you look out the windows as you’ll see some truly breathtaking views. At one point, the tracks were so high up that our views were that of the middle of the trees.
After you get to Gokurakubashi, the Koyasan Station, you’ll hop on the Koyasan cable car waiting for you and take the short ride up to Mount Koya itself.
Once you exit the station, there will be buses and taxis waiting to take you to your temple lodging. If you’re taking the bus, just confirm via Google Maps which stop you need to get off at.
Like I said, the public transportation system in Japan is awesome. In case you get a bit lost, just ask someone at the information desks in the stations. They’re usually really nice and helpful.
Our experience doing a Mount Koya temple stay
I wiggled my toes, sighing in contentment. I was seated at a table in our room in the temple. The seat was flushed to the ground, and a blanket covered the table, draping over the edges. I hadn’t moved from this spot in over an hour. I had originally sat at the table to rest for a few minutes before we headed out to explore the surrounding area.
Up until the moment I put my legs under the low table, I hadn’t quite realized how cold I was. The temple walls and floors, somehow trapping the cold mountain air inside. Lucky for me, the blanket on the table was heated and, with the way it draped over the sides, the area under the table was balmy. I immediately started to warm up.
A quick glance out our window confirmed that it was dreary outside. I was missing nothing by deciding to stay in our room instead of wandering around exploring the streets near the temple. After almost a week of non stop walking around in Japan, there was something so peaceful in deciding to sit still.
My mind immediately felt at ease, the energy of the temple exuding calm and stillness. A slow smile spread across my face.
My fiancé and I sat at that table for hours, perfectly content, until a voice asked for permission to enter.
And in came a monk, his arms ladened with trays with assorted dishes of brightly colored food. It was time for dinner.
Could it get better than this?
Reserving our temple stay
We booked our Koyasan temple stay through booking.com. I would highly recommend that you book this part of your trip as far in advance as possible. By the time we went to book ours, the temples were almost all sold out and we didn’t have that many options left.
I do highly recommend the temple stay we did, Koyasan Shukubo Saizeni. The rooms were beautiful, the food excellent, and the morning prayer was a really special experience. The staff at our temple all spoke good English so communication wasn’t an issue.
Want to explore your options? There are plenty of temples you can choose from (especially if you book in advance!)
The room + facilities
We ended up booking a family room even though it was just the two of us because there weren’t many rooms left. The room was incredibly spacious with a separate dining and living area and then a bedroom with two single beds. We had a peaceful and great night’s sleep. Even though the temple can get cold, the bedding is very warm.
Lodgings typically have guest rooms with tatami floors/tatami mats with futons spread on them. I believe the reason we had single beds was because it was a family room and if we had more people, they would have set up the futons.
Our room had its own bathroom and there were also bathroom facilities just down the hallway. It’s not uncommon for a room at one of the temples to have a shared bathroom. If having a private bathroom is important to you, be sure to book in advance as those tend to fill up.
Some of the temples, like ours, will also have an onsen which are public baths filled with natural hot water and rich in minerals. There were two at our temple – one for women and one for men. Considering how cold the temple can get, I highly recommend a soak in the onsen. Just note that you don’t wear any clothes in the onsen and that may feel a bit out of your comfort zone. I promise you it’s worth it!
What to do before dinner at the temple
I recommend getting to your temple sometime in the late afternoon. That way you can enjoy your room and explore the temple before dinner.
Here are a few things you can do at the temple:
- Some temples will offer afternoon meditation sessions that you can join
- If your temple has an onsen, I highly recommend doing a soak before dinner. Depending on when you visit Mt. Koya it can get really cold so an onsen is the perfect way to warm up
- Walk around the temple and explore the various rooms + temple grounds
- Sit and read a book and just enjoy the serenity of the room
Of course, you can also get out and explore Mt. Koya. We personally waited until the morning to explore and just enjoyed being in our room and the temple itself on the day we checked in. It’s completely up to you. At the end of this post I have some recommendations on where you can visit in the surrounding area.
What to expect for dinner
Dinner was such a treat and was hands down the highlight of our experience. One of the Buddhist monks brought in our trays of food and explained the various dishes. I’m pretty sure I was doing a happy dance. I was so excited to try all the different flavors. Plus, I just love food.
The cuisine is called Shojin Ryori and it is traditional Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, making it the perfect option for any vegan or vegetarians visiting Japan. It is made without any meat or fish and focuses on seasonal vegetables. The food is quite simply beautiful, elegantly plated with vibrant colors. It’s likely that you won’t have really tried anything like Shojin Ryori before so you’re in for a treat.
You’ll try specialties such as yuba (tofu skin), tempura veggies, sesame tofu, miso soup, and so much more!
At check in they asked us for our time preference for dinner and we were able to pre order any alcoholic beverages we wanted. You can decide to have a local beer or sake with your meal, if you choose. If not, tea is available.
Easily one of my favorite vegetarian meals in Japan and just an overall really fun experience to eat Shojin Ryori in the privacy of our room. It felt like a really unique date night.
Curfew
If you decide to head out after dinner, just know that most temples have some type of curfew. So be sure to check how late the curfew is so you can make it back before. We didn’t leave the temple after dinner so curfew wasn’t an issue for us. I’m not really sure what happens if you return after curfew but probably not worth risking! Or, at the very least, be sure to clarify with one of the monks.
Morning prayer
You’re going to want to head to bed at a decent hour because the next morning you will be up early to join the monks for morning service.
There’s something about waking up in the early morning in a temple on top of a mountain, that is so unbelievably peaceful. Your mind is already calm the moment you wake up and if you’re not a morning person, the cool air on your way to the prayer hall will certainly wake you up.
It was quite special to be able to join the morning prayer and observe a traditional morning service.
Right after prayer, you’ll enjoy a traditional Buddhist breakfast in the main hall before you check out. If you want to explore the surrounding areas, simply leave your bags at the temple.
Other things to do in Mt. Koya
Visit the Dai Garan Complex (Danjo Garan)
This is one of the most important areas and sacred sites in Mt. Koya and Buddhist monks convene from all over to study and train. As a tourist, you can walk around and admire the various shrines and pagodas.
One of the most iconic structures is the Konpon Daito (Great Pagoda). It’s 160 ft high and is definitely an impressive site. It’s unfortunately been destroyed by fire 5 different times and the most recent rebuild was completed in 1934.
Walk around the Kongobu-ji temple
This is an extremely impressive temple and is well worth the visit. It’s also the head temple of Shingon Buddhism. You’ll see some beautiful artwork and behind the building is the largest rock garden in all of Japan.
Do I recommend a temple stay in Mt. Koya?
I 100% recommend a temple stay in Mt. Koya. We had the best time. It was easily one of the highlights of our trip to Japan and one of my favorite unique experiences. It’s a wonderful way to add some stillness into your trip, experience traditional Buddhist food, and enjoy hospitality from the resident monks.
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