Mount Koya
Discover Mount Koya
Mount Kōya (高野山, Kōya-san) is a mountain in Wakayama prefecture to the south of Osaka, Japan, primarily known as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. First settled in 816 CE by the monk Kūkai as a retreat far away from the courtly intrigues of Kyoto, Mt. Koya is located in a 800-m-high valley amid the 8 peaks of the mountain. The original monastery has grown into the town of Koya, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies and over 100 temples, many of which offer lodging to pilgrims.
Taste of Mount Koya...
All temple lodgings on Mt. Koya offer Shōjin ryōri (精進料理), purely vegetarian food intended for monks. People who equate vegetarian food with blandness will be surprised: in their hundreds of years of experience with vegetarian cooking, the monks have invented amazingly tasty dishes. A local specialty, Kōya-dōfu is freeze-dried tofu - it is served by reconstituting into spongy blocks and boiling in dashi (the basic broth). For those unwilling to eat vegetarian, a number of restaurants offer regular Japanese and Chinese cuisine. There are also many reasonably priced izakaya around the center of town that offer a range of many traditional Japanese pub foods. Check opening hours: many places are open for lunch or dinner, but not both. About half of the over 120 temples in town offer lodging for pilgrims, known as shukubō in Japanese. Prices vary between ¥9,000 and ¥15,000 per night per person and include two fully vegan meals. You will be offered the opportunity, or in some temples required, to join in the morning prayer session (お勤め o-tsutome), a hypnotic experience involving sutra chanting, incense and gongs. While the monks don't drink, alcohol may be available to guests at dinner, and perhaps even from a vending machine. Temples have set hours at which the front gate is opened and closed, and the time the bath is available.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsIf you stay in Osaka, it's possible to visit Mount Kōya on a day trip by leaving early in the morning. If you can, though, it's worth it to spend the night in one of the numerous temples (see section "Sleep"), which will give you the opportunity to immerse yourself a little deeper in temple life and also experience a classical Japanese inn at a reasonable price. Most visitors arrive on the Nankai Electric Railway from Namba Station in Osaka, which connects to Gokurakubashi at the base of the mountain. Koya (こうや) limited expresses with reserved seats take 80 minutes and cost ¥1650, while ordinary expresses are lower priced at ¥870 and take 10-20 minutes longer with a change of trains possible. There's not much to look at during the first half of the trip (although keep your eyes peeled for the surreal 34.501944135....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
You can get from one end to the other of the village on foot in 30 minutes, but regular buses allow you to save time. Nankai Rinkan Bus operates the buses around Mount Koya. Passes such as the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket and Kansai Thru Pass (see By train) provide unlimited use. Otherwise board buses using the rear door, take a ticket when you board, and pay the fare based on the display at the front of the bus when you exit. A one day bus pass, sold at the Koyasan cable car station, costs ¥830. Mount Koya's sights are mostly clustered at the west end of town near Danjō-garan, and at the east end near Okunoin. You can cover most of them pretty comfortably in a single day, which is convenient since everything closes around 17:00. Mossy, ancient and serene, Okunoin is perhaps the top draw on Mount Koya, particularly if you visit early or late in the day when it's quieter or take even a few steps off the beaten path.
Where to Stay
About half of the over 120 temples in town offer lodging for pilgrims, known as shukubō in Japanese. Prices vary between ¥9,000 and ¥15,000 per night per person and include two fully vegan meals. You will be offered the opportunity, or in some temples required, to join in the morning prayer session (お勤め o-tsutome), a hypnotic experience involving sutra chanting, incense and gongs. While the monks don't drink, alcohol may be available to guests at dinner, and perhaps even from a vending machine. Temples have set hours at which the front gate is opened and closed, and the time the bath is available. This curfew can be as early as 21:00, so don't expect to head out after dinner — although you'll want to go to bed early anyway if you want to attend the morning prayers, which can be as early as 05:00! Breakfast and check-out times are also geared for early risers. You can book directly with the major temples, or via the official Koya-san shukubo association reservation service.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
If choosing to take the hike up from Kudoyama, in addition to the regular hiking precautions, consider that roughly 1 km of the course runs directly beside a golf course. In addition to stray balls (wear a hat), it seems the owner may be fighting an insane one-sided border dispute because, as of June 2010, around where the trail doubles as an access road, somebody has installed a couple of electrified tripwires over the trail, which appear to be hooked up to the golf links. Be aware. An otherwise complete set of localised advisories can be found on the English or Japanese hiking maps available at the temple at the very start of the course. Many of the pilgrims visiting Mount Koya are on their way to start the 88 Temple Pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku or continue the pilgrimage to the Kumano Sanzan and Ise Shrine. Not far outside Koya, approx. 15 min by car, is Otaki, a small town aptly named for the large waterfalls at its entrance.