Mt.Koya ,or Koyasan, was founded about 1,200 years ago by Kobo Daishi (Kukai) as the monastic center of Shingon Mikkyo, or literally "True World Esoteric Buddhism." Koyasan was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List as the "Sacred Sited and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" in 2004.
We visit 3 popular spts such as Kongobuji Temple, Danjogaran, and Okunoin (Kobodaishi mausoleum).
We take Nankai train from Namba Station for about 4,300JPY/person.
at your hotel in Osaka
The headquarters of Shingon sect Temple.
We visit Konpon daito, and see a lot of historical houses, towers and gates.
We walk through Japanese cedar trees and see about 200,000 grave stones.
Kobodaishi (Kukai) has been falling into deep meditations in this Gobyo..
Nankai Namba station
Mt.Koya ,or Koyasan, was founded about 1,200 years ago by Kobo Daishi (Kukai) as the monastic center of Shingon Mikkyo, or literally "True World Esoteric Buddhism." With an altitude of 800 meters, the mountain top is the home of over 100 temples and monasteries. Koyasan was added to UNESCO's World Heritage List as the "Sacred Sited and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range" in 2004.
I would like to take you to Danjo garan, Kongobuji Temple and Okunoin Gobyo.
There are more than 10 buildings including Kondo, Konpon Daito in Danjo garan.
Kondo was built by Kobo Daishi in 819. Buddhist services important for the whole mountain complex are performed here. It has been repeatedly destroyed, and the present hall was built for the 7th time in 1932. Ashuku Nyorai is the principal deity.
Konpon daito is a typical example of Danjo garan. This towering pagoda completed in 1937 has a lacquer finish and stands 48.5 meters in height. Inside this uniquely designed stupa is a three dimensional mandala demonstrating the Shingon teachings.
In Kongobuji Temple the religious affairs of the 3,600 Shingon sect branch temples nationwide are overseen on Koyasan. Magnificient pictures by historically famous artists decorate the rooms such as Ohiroma, Interior of Betsuden, Shibetsuden and the like. Furthermore the temple has a rock garden called "BANRYUTEI", the largest rock garden in Japan (2,349 square meters). The design is of a pair of dragons emerging from a sea of clouds to protect the okuden.
Japanese cedar trees tower over the 2 km path leading from Ichinohashi to Okunoin Gobyo. More than 200,000 grave stones, from military commanders to the common folk, stand in lines between the trees. Kukai's deciples erected a mausoleum upon his death in Okunoin Gobyo. This holly grounds is central to devotion to Kukai, and it's still visited by many people today.
You can enjoy Koyasan in about five and half hours because it takes about an hour to pick you up from your hotel and back again, and about four hours between Namba station and Koyasan station on Nankai railway, using the train and cable car to make a round trip. As for lunch, you can enjoy a vegetarian meal such as vegetable tempura, sesami tofu, black beans, udon with mountain vegetable and the like. It was the ascetic monks that cooked meals in Koyasan, because no women were admitted on the premises until 1867.
Why don't we visit Koyasan, the sacred center of Buddhism, and enjoy a vegetarian meal like the monks?
guide fee
transportation fee (you and guide) train about 3,700 JPY per person, entrance fee (about 1,200JPY) per person, lunch and the like.
I guide you Sapporo, Furano, Otaru, Hakodate in Hokkaido / Aomori in Hokuriku / Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Kagoshima in Kyushu / Kochi, Matsuyama in Shikoku / Tottori, Shimane, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato in Japan Sea side. Please get in touch with me!!
Thank you.
Koyasan is 800 meters above sea level. The temperature is about 6 degrees lower than Osaka, Kyoto.
please take care of your clothes.
Thank you.
We did a day tour with Hideo today and had a great day. We could not have done this on our own. So many train changes he was extremely patient and knowledgeable. We are doing another tour with him o. A couple of days. Highly recommend l. Thank you
Thank you for an excelent review, Yes, we changed trains 7 times including transfers. We visited Arashiyama Bmboo Forest and Kimono Forest. I could show you daruma and beckoning cat in Fushimi Inari Taisha. I'm very happy to guide you one more time.
Hideo-San did a great job. Good communication before we met him. On the tour, he was knowledgeable and told us many interesting things. He is also very easy to be with and talk to. We asked him to make some last minute changes to our itinerary, and he was very flexible. I also greatly appreciate that he helped us change train tickets and walked us all the way to our train in the station. We will not forget our memorable time with him in Hiroshima.
Thank you for posting an excellent review. I always try to cope with guests' requests as much as possible. This time you don't have so much time, so first we started the tour 30minutes earlier. We visited Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Museum. On the tour day Hiroshima is not so hot and humid, so I could show you many memorial monuments in the Peace Memorial Park. I could help change Shinkansen tickets directly from Hiroshima to Kyoto using JR pass. I'm sure you come back to Japan again. I wish you every success in your job.
We had the pleasure of touring Kyoto and Kobe over 2 days with Hideo. With his breadth of knowledge about Japanese culture, history, geography and religions, he was able to supplement our itinerary with facts and stories, also using printouts and pictures. This gave us a deeper understanding of the shrines, temples, famous buildings, and other landmarks. Through Hideo’s knowledge and experience, we were able to fully experience everything that these two beautiful cities had to offer, and embrace ourselves in Japanese culture with Hideo recommendations of food markets and restaurants. Before the trip he thoroughly answered all of our questions and concerns online, and tailored a perfect itinerary for our group ( 3 adults and 3 teenagers). Hideo took time to answer our questions, and was extremely patient with our group, also ensuring hospitality for an elderly person in our tour group, for example arranging wheelchairs. Overall a wonderful 2 days A most memorable experience
I'm very happy to receive your excellent review. I also enjoyed guiding your family. Your 3 students climbed up to Iwatayama Monkey park to give vegetables to monkeys while we adults visited beautiful Kiyomizu Temple. You also took a lot of pictures such as Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Tenryuji Temple, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Kinkauji Temple (Golden Pavilion), and Ryoanji Temple. I'm sure you enjoyed Tea Ceremony wearing Kimono, having sweets and matcha green tea. Lastly, we visited Osaka Dotonbori. In front of Glico signboard, we took photos you do the same pose as marathon runner. We saw flashy signboards such as crab restaurant, unique Kushikatsu restaurant, Billiken and the like. Congratulations on your students' passing the entrance exam. I hope you come back to Japan again. I wish you and your family all the best for your good health and continued success.
We spent the entire day with Hideo, we met us at the cruise ship port and stayed with us until after dinner. Our day with him was the best day of our 14 day visit to Japan! He is kind, knowledgeable, and easy to be around. He made great recommendations and we would use him again for future tours.
I'm very happy to receive your excellent review. First we visited Engyoji Temple. It is the set of "The last samurai." And we entered the Himeji Castle called "White Egret Castle." Finally we had Kobe Beef for dinner. Thank you for joining my tour. I hope you come back to Japan again. I wish you and your family good health and happiness.