Koya San, Japan

Koyasan: Sleeping in a Temple and Why You Should Do It

The monks at Okunoin cemetery deliver two meals per day to the mausoleum of Kukai (Kobo Daishi) at the end of a 2-kilometre path through old-growth cedar forest. This has happened every day without interruption since the 9th century. Kukai founded the Shingon Buddhist training complex on this 900-metre mountain in 816 AD; Shingon tradition holds that he has been in eternal meditation since his death in 835, awaiting the future Buddha. The tomb is the most sacred site in Shingon Buddhism and the monk’s daily meal delivery is the ceremony that marks its continuing presence.

Koyasan is in Wakayama Prefecture, 90 minutes south of Osaka. The town has 117 temples and the tradition of shukubo, temple lodging, has been offered to pilgrims and travellers for centuries. Staying overnight in a shukubo is the reason to come.

Shukubo: Temple Accommodation

A shukubo stay means a tatami room, a yukata (cotton robe), communal baths, and two meals of shojin ryori – the Buddhist vegetarian cuisine developed from Zen temple food. Tofu prepared in multiple ways, mountain vegetables, pickled daikon, miso soup, rice, sesame dishes. The food follows rules prohibiting meat, fish, garlic, and onion and is considerably more interesting than that sounds. Ekoin and Rengejoin are among the better-regarded shukubo; rates run JPY 12,000 to 20,000 per person including both meals.

Most visitors do Koyasan as an overnight from Osaka and return the following morning. Two meals of shojin ryori, the Okunoin cemetery, and the Garan temple precinct fill that time comfortably.

Okunoin Cemetery

The 2-kilometre path from the Okunoin cemetery entrance to Kukai’s mausoleum passes through 200,000 graves, memorials, and stone lanterns. The graves include the tombs of feudal lords from every major clan in Japanese history, large corporations that have erected memorial stones for deceased employees, and graves that stretch back to the 11th century. The cedars lining the path are 400 to 700 years old and create a canopy that makes even midday feel like dusk.

Visit at dawn before tour groups arrive, or at night when the stone lanterns along the path are lit. The night version, with lanterns casting moving shadows on the cedar trunks and mist low in the forest, is one of the more atmospheric experiences available in Japan.

Danjo Garan

The main temple precinct, five minutes from the town centre, contains Konpon Daito: a 49-metre vermilion pagoda visible from much of the mountain. The pagoda interior is open for JPY 500. The adjacent Kongobu-ji temple, headquarters of Shingon Buddhism, includes a dry rock garden of white gravel representing clouds and two dragons (entry JPY 1,000).

Getting There

From Osaka Namba, take the Nankai Koya Line to Gokurakubashi station (1 hour 15 minutes). The cable car from Gokurakubashi to the mountaintop operates every 20 minutes (JPY 410). A bus covers the 3 kilometres from the cable car station into the town centre. The Nankai railway sells a combined day pass for trains and cable car.

November brings autumn foliage; the combination of coloured maple leaves and the grey stone grave markers of Okunoin is the most photographed season. Temperatures are 5 to 10 degrees cooler than Osaka year-round; pack accordingly.