Mount Koya

The sacred heart of Shingon Buddhism, founded by Kobo Daishi (Kukai): a mountaintop temple town of more than 100 temples where you can stay in a temple lodging, eat shojin ryori and join a night tour of Okunoin.

Mount Koya sits in a mountain basin about 800 m above sea level in northern Wakayama Prefecture. In 816, Kobo Daishi (Kukai) founded a training center for esoteric Shingon Buddhism here, and today the mountaintop town, about 6 km from east to west, is home to 117 temples, around 50 of which run shukubo (temple lodgings). In 2004 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the "Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range." The main sights fall into three areas: in the west, the Daimon Gate, the Danjo Garan complex and the Reihokan Museum; in the center, Kongobu-ji Temple, Daishi Kyokai and the Odawara-dori shopping street; and in the east, the Okunoin cemetery, stretching from Ichinohashi Bridge to the Mausoleum of Kobo Daishi. At the foot of the mountain, the town of Kudoyama has Jison-in Temple and the start of the Choishi-michi trail, while the town of Katsuragi is home to Niutsuhime Shrine. Best seasons: fresh greenery in May–Jun; Jul–Aug, when it is about 5°C cooler than the lowlands; and autumn leaves from late Oct to early Nov. Winter often brings snow and temperatures as low as -10°C, but the crowds thin out and the atmosphere is serene. Getting there: from Osaka's Namba, take a Nankai Koya Line limited express to Gokurakubashi (about 1 hr 20 min), transfer to the cable car (5 min) to Koyasan Station, then take a bus for about 10 min into town. The Koyasan World Heritage Ticket is recommended. In town, get around on foot or by Nankai Rinkan Bus. Spending a night at a shukubo is recommended: visit the Garan in the late afternoon, enjoy shojin ryori and a night tour of Okunoin in the evening, and attend the morning service and goma fire ritual at dawn.

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