Mount Koya
 

Hi, can anyone recommend a good place to stay here overnight, I believe one can only stay at temples? We have allocated one night to here and we are planning on staying here in early November 2017. Also, any other tips re travel, sights to see etc would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

Are you still looking in the same budget? Because I think you might want to take a look at the options before deciding if so. Also, I haven't see one with beds- I don't remember if you were ok with Japanese style or not.

Hi marvelousmouse, we are prepared to stretch our budget for this special occasion (but we would of course love a good deal, something cheaper!!) - another poster or here has attested to the comfort of futons so we are happy to try them, the reviews seem to concur with that poster that they are comfortable so we will also stay in such accommodation too!

It is ten years ago now but here is a link to our blog entry of our time in Koyasan which may provide a few ideas http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...8720/tpod.html

We stayed at Eko In which was fairly central and we really enjoyed our stay there.

Phew, on looking into Mount Koya, it sounds like a bit of a tourist trap to me - any alternatives anyone can suggest, we like lovely scenery, good food, culture. Away from the crowds!

With futons, the comfort depends on the futon - some are thin and thus result in quite a hard surface, others are pretty much as thick as a Western-styke mattress. Where they are thin, I simply ask for (or take from the cupboard) one or two extra futons to layer beneath each other.

I don't know costs, but we enjoyed our stay at Shojosin-in. We picked the Hanare, a private building within the grounds, ideal for groups but we payed the price even as a couple because on that first trip to Japan I was nervous about shared bathrooms and the hanare has toilets and bathrooms within.

Koya-san is a special place, but you do need to pick the right temple, it isn't cheap and getting there and back takes a while. Shojosin-in gets generally good reviews, you don't need the private building.

If you don't like crowds you may be headed to the wrong country....

(Thursday, I probably wouldn't bother to pay the extra for the hanare now I've been to Japan and experienced the shared bathrooms, and am less scaredy cat about them!)

As thursdaysd said, the choice of temple can make a huge difference. I was pleased with my stay at Shojoshin-in:
https://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/...n=Shojoshin-in

I did not find Koya-san to be a tourist trap. Perhaps things have changed since I was there....

Likewise. We visited in autumn 2012 and it was not remotely a tourist trap. But you know, Japan is not an undiscovered off the beaten path kind of place, because the Japanese are enthusiastic tourists within their own country. When a place is crowded, that's usually because it's really worthwhile seeing. Of course, there are sights that are ticklists on the itineraries of visitors who will only ever go to Japan once, have one or two weeks max and want to hit the highlights, and yeah those are busiest, whereas there are many many far quieter sites all around the country.

We visited a long time ago and didn't find it remotely touristy. Perhaps it has changed. What leads you to believe it is a tourist trap? Basically, we are all tourists when visiting another country.