Koyasan Shukubo Saizenin

This was my third time staying in this wonderful place. I continue to love everything about it - the atmosphere, the staff, the room, the food, being able to attend morning prayers…… All of it. I will be going again the next time I visit Japan.

I am always so very disappointed when I have to check out and come home.

Our experience at this lovely temple will always be remembered. Everyone here is very welcoming and helpful and encourages you to participate, although it is not mandatory. Our meals were beautifully presented, and although different than the usual, all very good and well received. A very beautiful temple and grateful to be able to participate in the prayer ceremony in the morning to catch a glimpse of a historical culture.

A lovely well- located shukubo (pilgrim lodging) in Koyasan with wonderful shojin ryori meals for breakfast and dinner. It is walking distance to everything you will want to visit. I recommend the half-board booking option which provides these traditional meals for both breakfast and dinner. Let them know ahead of time if you are vegan and they can accommodate. It was also an honor to get to participate in the morning Buddhist ceremony. We treasure our stay here.

First of all, I want to make it clear that my comments about the accommodation should not take away from how much I loved Koyasan itself. Mount Koya is absolutely magical. The temples, the Okunoin cemetery and, above all, the atmosphere early in the morning and late in the evening are incredibly peaceful and spiritual. The cemetery was actually one of the highlights of our entire trip — absolutely spectacular. About the temple: the welcome was genuinely wonderful. Both the lady and the gentleman at reception were extremely kind and welcoming. They showed us around and explained the facilities, and throughout our stay the staff were always lovely. The cleanliness was also excellent. We really appreciated the Japanese-style details: leaving our shoes outside, the yukata, and even the skincare products provided. Everything was very clean and well organised. We also met a Buddhist monk who was incredibly friendly and welcoming. The location was another highlight. We stayed directly opposite Kongobu-ji Danjo Garan, which meant we were lucky enough to hear the Koyashiro Bell being rung in the evening. That was a very special moment. Dinner was good. We are not particularly used to vegetarian/vegan food, but we knew what to expect and ate everything. The dinner and breakfast room was also beautiful. There is parking included directly behind the temple, which was very convenient, and overall the temple provides everything you need for a comfortable stay. And again, completely separate from the accommodation: Okunoin Cemetery was the absolute highlight of Koyasan for us. Spectacular. One thing I absolutely loved, however, was the atmosphere outside the temple itself.

Unfortunately, this is where I have to be honest, because I had very high expectations for this experience more than anything. We booked the Superior Japanese-style room, but I honestly struggled to understand what made it “superior”. Perhaps the lower categories are considerably more basic, but for the price we paid, I expected much more. The view from our room was particularly disappointing. The meditation at 4:00 pm was a nice experience, and we paid the ¥1,000 per person because we wanted to fully experience everything the temple had to offer. However, I genuinely feel that something like this should be included in the temple stay, especially considering the price. More importantly, I would have loved a much deeper introduction to Koyasan, Kukai, Buddhist practices, the life of the monks and the history of the temple. Instead, the overall feeling was sometimes a little bit like: you are tourists, here is the experience, now please pay for it. The morning prayer was also interesting, but again, I expected something more immersive. Not necessarily something more spectacular, but something that would give us a better understanding of what we were witnessing. The schedule was probably my biggest issue. The temple opens at 6:30 am and closes at 9:00 pm. Breakfast is at 7:30 am, immediately after the 7:00 am prayer, and dinner is at 5:00 pm. Especially at this time of year, these restrictions mean that you miss some of the most beautiful moments of Koyasan — particularly the atmosphere around sunset and after dark. We actually had to ask for permission to return around 9:05 pm because we wanted to see the Koyashiro Bell being rung. Otherwise, we simply wouldn’t have been able to experience it. Breakfast was also disappointing for us. I completely understand the Buddhist tradition and the type of food being served, but considering the price of the stay, I expected something more enjoyable. I also expected a closer connection with nature.