2-Star Hotels in Koya

Stunning ancient temples, few people, are basically Europeans. It is only after 2 pm that check-in can be started. The attitude of the monks is more interesting and completely different from other Japanese hotels. Deaf people will tell you that sometimes you are asked to read the introduction, not to ask you questions. The public bath is warm and much better than you think.

After booking a room with a bathroom, a monk took us to a semi-underground room. It was so cold. He showed us the shower and bathroom in the corridor. We told him that we paid more to book a room with a bathroom, and he took us to find an old monk. Unless we were mistaken, none of their rooms had a bathroom. I obviously spent hundreds more just to have a bathroom in the room, and it was clearly written on the order. He asked me to contact Ctrip at his expense, and he also contacted the agent. It took about an hour and a half to figure this out. He took us back to the original room and opened the locked door (at first we asked him what the small door was, and he said it was a maintenance room). There was a dirty toilet and a sink that couldn't be smaller. Anyway, there are no hotels on Mount Koya. If you want to stay, it’s a shukubo in the temple. They are expensive and have poor conditions, so think twice.

Very good, not far from the Jingangfeng Temple, dinner and breakfast for the vegetarian meal is also very delicious, half an hour of early classes, a lot of foreigners. It is important to note that dinner, morning classes and breakfast are subject to time. It must be said that the travel experience of Koyasan exceeded expectations.

We made our way to Koyasan with our small group of 5 plus our guide, via a maze of trains, busy stations and platforms, a furnicular up the mountain and finally a bus to our temple stay. It was cold weather, even though it’s April. There were still a number of cherry trees blossoming- so pretty. The temple was attractive and comfortable ( if you count sleeping on the floor, sitting on the floor for meals comfortable!). Our room was heated but the rest of the temple was not so it was cool walking to the onsen and the meal room. Our room had the futon, pillows ( very uncomfortable), a low table, small TV, wifi, hanging space. Our evening meal and breakfast were traditional Japanese vegetarian and interesting food. We purchased sake for a very reasonable price with the evening meal. Beer was also available. The onsen was a good cultural experience ( and even better because I was there alone!) Our accommodation was very close to the Okunoin cemetery which is an absolute must see.

There are many shokubos in Koyasan. If you don't understand Japanese, you could book through one through the shokubo association and they will just randomly assign one to you or one of those travel hotel websites (with limited selections). I stumbled upon Komyo-in website which has an OK english translation page and let me book direct. Most of the reviews are on google and i think it deserves one here. Communication: Mostly through google translate and it worked fine. The hospitality was great. Everything was well organised. Nothing was too much of a hassle. I stayed here for 2 nights. I wanted to do the cemetery night tour and the monk told me that he would wait for me and not lock the door if i returned pass the curfew hrs (9pm). I didn't think it would be a problem but they didn't want me to worry. Location: The temple is located just behind the Eko-in, where the night tour starts. It is also located near the bus-stop if you are coming from the koyasan cable station. Food: I ordered the breakfast and dinner on both nights. There were delicious and adequate for a standard portion. They have the larger portion selection. Room: Spacious as a solo traveler. They provided me a gas heater and it was warm enough when i was in the room. Tea and cookies were complimentary. Clearly, you have to utilise the public bath and toilet. Bath time was given for each gender. Atmosphere: It might be like the big temple but i really quite liked the small temple setting. I also participated the morning ritual one morning. Highly recommended.

Stay at a traditional temple lodge. Mt. Koya's oldest Tsurukame (crane and tortoise) style 'Karesansui' garden (known as a rock garden) is a must see!

I drove for three hours in the morning and arrived at Koyasan from Kyoto. The temperature on the mountain was 5 or 6 degrees cooler than Kyoto. We stayed at Huiguangyuan, a 1000-year-old Buddhist monastery. The temple has traditional Japanese-style rooms and beautiful gardens. The meals are Buddhist and vegetarian, and the service staff are monks, making people feel the Japanese Buddhist culture. The morning morning there was a Buddhist morning class and meditation activities. [Konoyama] On the altar, Kalan - Jingangfeng Temple - Huiguangyuan. Koyasan is the ancestral ancestor of Dongmi Mang, and was founded by the master of Hongfa in the 7th year of Hongren (816). Legend has it that the Master of the Seas was willing to find a lotus sacred place like Wutai Mountain in China to promote the Dharma. When the line went to Gaoye Mountain, a pair of white dogs and black dogs led the way. The Masters of the Sea followed them to discover the eight peaks around the Gaoye Mountain, so they were Here you build your own dojo, which has been passed down to the present. The altar on the altar is the center of the entire Gaoye Mountain, and it is also the place where the empty sea masters first built the temple. The Jingangfeng Temple is the largest temple in Koyasan. It was originally built by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1593, and was renamed as the King Kong Temple in the Meiji era.

After spending two hours getting to the temple from Namba, it was refreshing to absorb the peace and tranquility of the place. The place is just a short walk up a slight slope from the bus stop where we got off. Check-in was smooth with good explanation on the place and the facilities. Place was spotless and they ensured that by helping to clean the wheels of our luggage. Room is of ample size for four of us in a traditional setting sleeping on tatami mats. A toilet is attached to my room but the bathing facilities is a sharing facility which was clean and spacious. Dinner and breakfast were superb vegetarian meals. We also had a great experience with the morning prayers which also taught us a meditation method. This place is within easy walking distance to the small town center with restaurants for lunch. Bus schedule to other places are posted on the bus stops. Overall, we had a peaceful stay here which was a good break from the hustle of the big cities.

Let me talk about a good place first: the environment is good, the temperature on the mountain is cooler; the service is in place, everything is explained clearly and carefully, especially friendly and polite; the location is next to the fundamental tower. Then there is a not very good place: all Sufangs in Gaoye Mountain are very high, here adults are 1,000 yuan per capita, and children over 6 years old are also 700 yuan (cannot use existing beds to reduce or exempt, 700 without meals), not cheap; The facilities are objectively restricted, there are public bathrooms and toilets, and they are very small and inconvenient. In general, if it is not for Westerners who are curious about the ”Mystery Power of the East”, it is recommended to come back and forth from Osaka on the same day, rather than choose Sufang. The place in Takano Mountain is not big. It is possible to go back and forth in Osaka on the same day, so that you can live in downtown Osaka, and the same price greatly improves the accommodation conditions. The view of the vulgar is for reference only.

In addition to expensive, there are no shortcomings, experience activities are provided, the two meals are also very exquisite, the service is also very intimate, the traffic is convenient, the bus is coming down, but Gaoye Mountain is too far away. In short, very recommended!