by Sam Sakamoto
What can be said about Koyasan?
This place is hands-down my favorite place in Japan. It’s magical. It’s serene. Tucked between timbers of cedar and cypress, scattered with centuries-old temples, and inhabited by Buddhist monks, it’s the kind of place you travel to and realize, this is why I came to Japan.
Koyasan is known as the world headquarters of the Kōyasan Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism, home to over one hundred temples. It’s located in Wakayama prefecture, about 3.5 hours from Nara prefecture via train. Although the 4+ train transfers (including a beautiful cable car ride) seem daunting, don’t let that discourage you! Traveling to Koyasan, for me, was surprisingly easy, the gorgeous Limited Express train ride through the pastoral countryside of Wakayama leaving me jaw dropped and awestruck.
The appeal for me in traveling to Koyasan was the opportunity to stay at a Buddhist monastery and get a feel for the daily lives of the monks who live there. There is a plethora of temples to choose from, however, I recommend Shojoshin-in (https://shojoshinin.jp/), where I chose to stay, because I found it was the most affordable option while also offering a lot of interesting services/rituals to sit in on. I had no idea what to expect when I arrived at Shojoshin-in, shocked at how spacious the room was (I could’ve sat at my kotatsu staring out at the other rooftops and trees for days). At 6am, I attended the morning prayer and 1pm, I attended the fire ritual, both of which I highly recommend if you decide to stay at Shojoshin-in (although, a lot of the other temples have similar schedules/activities).
The temple I stayed at also provided breakfast and dinner, which were served in your own personal room separate from the bedroom. These are traditional Buddhist vegetarian meals which are delicious! A few of the foods I was served were nabe, tsukemono, tempura, and fruit. However, if you decide to not eat meals at the temple, there are food places/konbinis nearby.
I honestly recommend just wandering around Koyasan to find interesting things to do, as walking all the way down the main street is only about 30-45 minutes, so you can cover a lot of ground in little time. The temple that I recommend visiting most is Daishi Kyokai because it offers a few activities/rituals that can only be done at this particular location, such as attending a Jukai ceremony and Shakyo (sutra copying, which is a meditative practice where you are given a sheet of paper with the popular Heart Sutra lightly printed on it, tracing over the kanji characters with a brush pen).
The highlight of my trip to Koyasan, however, was the tour of the Okunoin Cemetery, a mystical, spiritual place home to centuries-old gravestones covered in moss. The tour is at night and available in English (one of the monks is actually the tour guide). I’m not usually a tour person, but I recommend it because it’s a bit unsettling walking through the cemetery alone at night and you learn stories about Koyasan you otherwise wouldn’t hear about.
Traveling to Koyasan made a lasting impression on me, one that urged me to live simply and to enjoy what’s around me. I honestly teared up at its beauty, and I hope to visit again sometime soon! If you have any questions about traveling to Koyasan or want any travel recommendations in general, feel free to contact me! (@sam_sakamoto on Instagram)
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