Koyasan
 

Does anyone have advice about a visit to a Koyasan? I read that one must stay at a temple and that english is not widely spoken. I would be coming from kyoto. Is it reachable by JR train? Must one stay in a temple? Is it an interesting place to see? Is a temple stay really "roughing it"? Can one book a stay from abroad?
Thanks

My stay at a temple in Koyasan was one of the most memorable and wonderful experiences of a truly fabulous trip. I stayed in a beautiful, comfortable room at a temple where some English was spoken. For more info:

www.japan-guide.com/e/e4900

Some can be booked through japaneseguesthouses.com

Hope that helps!

When are you thinking of going? I haven't stayed there but a friend of mine stays there every year; she returns from Japan in a little under a week and I could pick her brain for you if you can't find the answers to your questions before then.

I'm going mid may. That would be great. Thanks!

Okay, I will ask her about it as soon as she gets back. By the way, although as I mentioned I myself have not visited Koyasan, I have stayed at a Kyoto temple in the past a couple of times, and it was a great experience.

The night we spent in the Shojoshinin Temple on Mt Koya is one of the most memorable nights we have spent anywhere. Mt Koya is an otherworldly place filled with temples. Be sure to walk thru the cemetary after dark. I was pleasantly surprised by how comfortable our room was. The toilet room and bath were very clean and modern and right down the hall. One of the monks was assigned to us and took very good care of us (he even spoke excellent English). He also served us delicious meals (dinner and breakfast) right in our room. If you go, be sure to attend the morning prayer service. It is unforgettable.

Mt Koya is easy to reach by train from Osaka (and Osaka is a transportation hub). From Osaka, you take a local train to Gokurakubashi and then you take a cable car which makes for a special arrival. A local bus will take you into to town from there. (The whole trip takes about 2 hours from Osaka to Mt. Koya and the cost is about $10)

You can book your stay online at this
website: http://japaneseguesthouses.com/db/mo...hojoshinin.htm

Hope you decide to go. It really is a special place.

Friends of mine spent a night there last year - you can read about it here: http://meckleyearth.blogspot.com/200...d-mt-koya.html

sorry I didn't get back to you earlier, but I hadn't had a chance to chat with my friend.

Meanwhile, you have some good tips here and I don't have much to add.

She said there are quite a few different places to stay, but she only talked about the temples, so I don't know about hotels. But compared to the temple I have stayed at in Kyoto, where you got a ticket for the public bath down the street as part of the experience, most of the Mt Koya ones have baths and are more like staying at a ryokan (inn, which typically vary from simple to luxury).

Have you stayed in this kind of lodging before? If you stay in a place with traditional tatami rooms, with sliding doors off of a communal hallway, be prepared to hear every creak and snore coming from your neighbors. Not bad, bring earplugs!

I gather that most guests rise early attend Buddhist services at their temple.

It sounds pretty wonderful!
Let us know what you decide to do.

FYI
The latest Conde Nast Traveler magazine has an article about Koyasan ("Magic Mountain") by Pico Iyer.

The article mentioned above is available on their website. I just saved it to a word document for future reference. After reading these recent posts, I have become really interested in visiting Koyasan hopefully on my next trip to Japan. :)

Mara, we also just visited and stayed overnight at Shojoshinin Temple - it was lovely.