Hello there - I found a temple room in Koya-San thanks to "Japanese Guest Houses" - thanks for the suggestion (sorry can't find item now to check who to thank!). It's on a Sunday evening, 24th April.

My next question is, is it realistic to get from there to Hakone as a stopover (heading to Tokyo for last few days of stay) ? I would like to be able to enjoy a bit of Koya-san in the morning, but would like to stay at a ryokan at Hakone and therefore need to be there by 5.30 for the meal etc.

Is this do-able and practical, with all the changing of cable-cars and trains etc ?

Looks like the trip is 5 to 6 hours and certainly is doable (at hyperdia.com use from: koyasan, to: hakoneyumoto). It is also practical as long as you can handle your luggage easily (or have it shipped in advance).

As far as all the connections go, it sounds like you will have been in Japan for a while by that time, so you shouldn't be jet lagged and know how to find your way around.

I'm so glad Japanese Guest Houses was able to help you. They're so efficient. Which temple are you staying at? I am also going to Hakone from Koyasan. I'll be in Kyoto prior to Koyasan, so I am planning to send my bag from Kyoto directly to Hakone and then just bringing a day pack to Koyasan. I think there are a few train changes from Kyoto to Koyasan and a cable car, so I think that will make that part of my journey a bit more comfortable. Eight days and counting . . . .

Author: Linda05
Date: 03/30/2005, 02:51 pm
<...>, so I am planning to send my bag from Kyoto directly to Hakone and then just bringing a day pack to Koyasan. . . . .

What do mean by "send my bag?" Do you mean to mail/ship it somewhere via post or courier?

*confused*

I meant having my hotel/ryokan forward it for me. I took this from another website:

Luggage & Lockers Because storage space on Shinkansen bullet trains is limited, travel with the smallest bag you can get away with. Coin-operated lockers are located at all major train stations as well as at most subway stations, but most lockers are generally not large enough to store huge pieces of luggage (and those that are large enough are often taken). Lockers generally cost ¥300 to ¥700 ($2.50-$5.85) depending on the size. Some major stations also have check-in rooms for luggage, though these tend to be rare. And if your bag becomes too much to handle, you can have it sent ahead via takkyubin, a wonderful and efficient luggage/parcel forwarding service available at most upper-range hotels and all convenience stores in Japan. At Narita and Kansai international airports, delivery service counters will send luggage to your hotel the next day (or vice versa) for about ¥2,000 ($17) for bags up to 20 kilograms (44 lb.).

I assumed that any hotel, ryokan or inn would offer this service, but in the event that mine will not, then I'll find out about the convenience store option.

Maybe someone else can advise as to the logistics of this service and whether it can indeed be arranged by any hotel?