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Koyasan, Japan: A Day Trip from Kyoto to Japan's Sacred Mountain Village

Writer's picture: That's How We TravelThat's How We Travel

Summary: Koyasan is a historic mountain village situated about 2.5 hours from Kyoto. As the birthplace of Shingon Buddhism's founder, Kōbō Daishi, it has over 120 temples and the renowned Okunoin Cemetery, where he is buried. For our day trip, we rented a car to make the most of our visit and hired a private guide who provided detailed and fascinating insights that enhanced our appreciation of the sacred grounds. After exploring the main temple complex, we took a guided hike along the Women's Pilgrimage Trail, offering us views of the town.


[This blog is part of a 15-days in Japan series].

About Koyasan. Shingon Buddhism's ecclesiastical headquarters is in this sacred city. Founded in 819 by a monk, Kōbō Daishi, who, having traveled to China and learned about Buddhism, returned to Japan to establish his own Japanese branch of Buddhism. Over time, a university was established for religious teachings, as well as over 120 temples and shrines. Today, Koyasan remains an integral part of Japanese Buddhism, with many still making pilgrimages to these sacred grounds.


Getting there. A train service to Koyasan exists, but the schedule wasn't suitable for a day trip from Kyoto. If you're planning to stay overnight, the train might be more convenient. We wanted to arrive earlier and leave later than the train allowed, so we opted to rent a car for 24 hours in Kyoto. The evening before, we drove to Kyoto station, walked a few blocks to the Toyota rental center, and then parked the car near our Airbnb in a paid lot. The next morning, we early enough to drive the 2.5-hours and still arrive in time for our 9:00 a.m. private tour of Koyasan's main attractions. At the end of the day, we returned the car and made our way back to our accommodation from Kyoto station.


Tour Part 1: We purchase two different tours for this day, the first was a 4-hour, "Highlights of Koyasan." This excellent tour started first at Koyasan's most notable stop, Okunoin Cemetery. The largest cemetery in Japan houses the Mausoleum where Koyasan founder's Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi) is laid to rest. Many of Japan's most notable feudal lords and monks are among the more than 200,000 graves.

We walked through the cemetery, often stopping to admire some of the more interesting stonework.

Interestingly, many large Japanese companies own graves for notable founders and employees. Others had dedicated shrines for their workers.

Monks in Koyasan bring daily offerings of food to Kōbō Daishi as they believe he is not dead, but instead is in a state of meditation.

After watching the ceremony, we walked back through the cemetery to start the next part of our tour.

Koyasan has a main temple complex that houses several impressive temples. Kongobuji Temple is the head temple (featured below).

Having a guide was helpful! There are so many stories behind each of the complex's temples.

The Daito Bell is rung five times a day on a strict schedule to track time.

Lunch. After Part 1 of our tour, we stopped for lunch at this tiny little spot, where the desserts were the best part of the meal. So good.

Tour Part 1: The second part of the day was a 2-hour hike to travel part of the Nyonin Michi (Women's Pilgrimage Trial). Women were forbidden to travel within the sacred Koyasan grounds but they were allowed to view them from the perimeter. Still seeking to worship in and around the temples area, this path became the destination for women until access was granted in the 20th century.

This easy hike was a fun way to physically experience this historic trail. At the end of the hike, we came back through Dai-mon Gate. Built originally in 1705, this entrance to the Koyasan central district is the largest wooden gate in Japan. From there, we headed back to our car to make the trip back to Kyoto.

5 hours in the car - was it worth it? While many travelers suggest a minimum of a one-night stay in Koyasan, especially to experience the cemetery at night, we felt a daytrip from Kyoto worked just fine. As a general rule, we try to avoid one-night stays because of the hassle of packing and unpacking luggage. Do you have to do it this way? No, not at all. But if you're like us and prefer keeping a city like Kyoto a homebase for several nights, visiting Koyasan as a daytrip is not only doable but definitely worth it.


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