This Temple Complex is the centre of Koyasan, which was opened by Kukai (aka Kobo Daishi) as a place for secret training in Shingon esoteric Buddhism. Several temples are located inside the Danjo Garan, and the 49-meter tall Great Stupa is of an especially splendid and impressive. Very popular place, lots of tourists and locals. Fair bit of walking around mostly shade. Wear comfy shoes, take water, wear hat, sunscreen. Fee charged for entry. Beautiful place. Lots to see. Great place for photography.

An amazing precinct hidden deep in the mountains and wrapped in beautiful forest. This is a must see if you are into temples and shrines, one of the finest in all of japan in my opinion

A visit to Koysan is a must for any visitor to Japan. We stayed in a monastery and what a great experience. This included being able to attend morning prayers with the monks. A night tour of the largest cemetery in Japan was a highlight with a monk as a guide. Very i formative on the religious history of Japan. This was the highlight of our stays.

Probably my favorite day of 9 months travelling the world (This .complex of temples and the cemetery combined). It was windy, cold and raining hard - probably why we had the place to ourselves in mid February 2023. There was also a heavy mist but for me - this only added to the amazing and serene experience. So many temples in one place, if this had been Kyoto - it would be cram packed with people. If feel so lucky to have experienced the complex solo, with just my thoughts and my umbrella!

A truly beautiful and unforgettable place. The precinct is home to many temples and sacred structures, each with a unique charm and peaceful atmosphere. Walking through the grounds feels like stepping into a spiritual sanctuary – it’s a feast for the eyes and the soul. Historically, the Danjo Garan complex was founded by Kōbō Daishi (Kūkai) in the 9th century and is considered one of the most sacred areas of Koyasan. The striking Konpon Daitō Pagoda is especially impressive and symbolizes the cosmic mandala central to Shingon Buddhism. An absolute must-see when visiting Koyasan. The blend of history, spirituality, and natural beauty makes it one of the highlights of the area.

After 10 years in Japan Koyasan still one of the best place I visited. Must see.

We visited the Kongobuji Temple in Wakayama on a pleasant 15°C temperature day. This head monastery of the Shingon sect, stands as a testament to Japan's rich cultural and spiritual history. Originally constructed in 1593 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, it was later merged with a neighboring temple, becoming the head temple of Shingon Buddhism, a sect introduced by Kobo Daishi in 805. The Ohiroma Room, adorned with gilded sliding doors featuring cranes painted by Kano Tanyu, is a significant site within the temple, used for important rituals and ceremonies. Adjacent to this room are the Plum and Willow Rooms, each named for the paintings on their sliding doors, with the Willow Room being the site of Toyotomi Hidetsugu's ritual suicide. Visitors to Kongobuji can experience a moment of tranquility with tea and a cookie in a large tatami hall, surrounded by fusuma decorated with 20th-century paintings that narrate the story of Kobo Daishi. The Banryutei Rock Garden, Japan's largest, features large rocks from Shikoku, symbolizing dragons emerging from clouds, a nod to the birthplace of Kobo Daishi. The journey through Kongobuji culminates in the Jodannoma Audience Room, an opulent space once used to receive dignitaries, with gold-gilded walls and carved floral ceilings, before concluding in the temple's expansive kitchen, equipped to serve a multitude. This temple not only serves as a place of worship but also as a bridge connecting visitors to the profound legacy of Shingon Buddhism and the historical narrative of Koyasan. Remember to take the audio guide at the Information Centre, which is not where you buy the tickets. There quite a lot of walking required and you take off your shoes at the entrance and have wear slippers provided by the temple authorities. In Wakayama there is nothing else to do, only temples and temples. No convince stores anywhere near the temple, so stock your snacks and waters before you enter the temple precincts.

It is the head temple of Kōyasan Shingon Buddhism, located on Mount Kōya, Wakayama Prefecture. Temple was first constructed as Seigan-ji Temple in 1593. The temple's modern rock garden is Japan's largest (2340 square meters), with 140 granite stones arranged to suggest a pair of dragons emerging from clouds to protect the temple. Popular place, need to go early. Fair bit of walking mostly under shade. Lots of locals, some tourists and pilgrims. Wear comfy shoes, take water, wear hat, sunscreen. Fee charged for entry. Great place for photography.

Nestled in the serene Koyasan region of Japan, this remarkable location is surrounded by a collection of UNESCO World Heritage temples. The tranquility and peacefulness of the atmosphere are truly awe-inspiring, especially during the early morning when the streets are bathed in a gentle light. Describing its essence in words alone would be an understatement, as it evokes a profound sense of wonder and serenity.

Kongobuji (金剛峯寺, Kongōbuji) was originally constructed in 1593 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi to commemorate the death of his mother. Later it was merged with a neighboring temple and reorganized into the head temple of Shingon Buddhism, the sect introduced to Japan by Kobo Daishi in 805 and headquartered on Koyasan.

Busy and vibrant market . If you can stand the crush of the crowds then this place is a unique experience for anyone that appreciates the vast array of Japanese food. I only wish I had more appetite.

Beautiful Rick garden and great place to walk thru a traditional temple

A very famous Japanese mountain, very famous for its temples. In any case, it's worth a visit. It's not easy to get there, but it's worth it. Beautiful nature with all those temples. More than 1000 m above the sea.

Beautiful temple complex. They have a social room they only open in fall.

i was really moved by the large buddhist sculpture there, and could look at it closely. however the recreation of the large scroll paintings in the first room was strange, it seems to be digitally printed. anyway i still recommended it

I don't recommend this place it is expensive 1300 per person not to many exhibits most descriptions are not translated and you are not allowed to take picture. During cold day it is cold inside

Very special museum, a bit on the boring side but some of the historic statues were very cool. I just wish the signs with descriptions of each artifact had an English translation as you aren’t allowed to use your phone so I didn’t know what I was looking at most of the time in here but I understand that’s a very egotistical perspective.

Please note Nov 17 -22, 2025 temporarily closed

A lovely museum, although at a hefty price compared to similar establishments in more urban locations. Staff was very helpful and offered English pamphlets to assist us on our tour. Without the pamphlets, make sure you bring your smart phone with you and that it has the ability to translate text from Japanese to English or whatever language you prefer. Otherwise, you will see a paragraph or two of text written in Japanese, followed by a 1-liner in English just giving the name of the historical piece and/or the materials used to make it. Do bare in mind, however, that photography is not allowed, so you may be viewed with suspicion for whipping out your phone and taking pictures (although we both know you were just trying to translate whatever the sign said.) It is a wonderful break from the area it is located in. Both interior and exterior layouts are truly beautiful, even in the full blazing heat of summer. Many pieces of historical art and sculpture that are truly awe inspiring. The gift shop near the entrance actually has a interesting selection of offerings, excellent for small presents or decorations, but nothing overly expensive or daunting. The outside area also has a break station with vending machines and water misting, which was tremendously useful during our summer visit. Make sure you remember to take your umbrella with you when you leave, unlike me.

Normally I would think there would be no wait to enter this place, but a large school group was there the day we went. It's a great place to learn about the art of shingon Buddhism as the descriptions are in Japanese and English. Very informative. I enjoyed it a lot.

A lot of national treasure from different area of Japan 🇯🇵 I recommend you to visit this wonderful museum.

I stay one night here and one night at a temple. I can confirm is better staying here. I always felt welcomed! I had a great breakfast, the locations is really nice! The host is a 11/10! I’ll definitely come back!

Great stay with Ryochi. Our plans changed last minute and he found us to spots in one of the mountain capsule pods which were lovely and good value. His recommendations for the not only koyasan itself but our next stop Osaka were awesome. Lovely home made food for dinner and breakfast. Good vibes all round. Thank you!

We stayed here for one night in October as a party of 4, all in individual capsules. I don't know what kind of bedding they had, but we all had the best night's sleep of the entire trip here in the guesthouse (much more comfortable than the temple we stayed in for the next night). Each capsule has a curtain for privacy, a light and power socket, and enough room for a small bag for essentials. The place was spotlessly clean, and Ryochis home cooked breakfast and coffee were fantastic. In fact, Ryochi could not have done more to accommodate us. After we informed him of our late arrival (due to our confusion over which train to get from Osaka), he booked us a table at the nearby (and excellent) izakaya. It is located close to the entrance to Okunoin and the mausoleum of Kobodaishi), ideal for early morning or evening walks in the cemetery. Overall I would heartily recommend staying here. You can't beats it's combination of value, location, and service. Some tips: There are no weekends taxis from the funicular station after 4pm, and each bus into Koyasan from the station was about 30 mins apart. So try to get here before 4pm in order to have the most transport options.

Koyasan and Guest House Kokuu was recommended by a friend as a 'side trip' during our visit to Osaka, it turned out to be one of the most memorable highlights of our entire Japan trip. Our host Ryochi was very warm and welcoming and extremely helpful with information and assistance. The guest house has everything you need for a visit to this beautiful area of Japan and is clean and very well run, the optional breakfast really sets you up for the day and I'd heartily recommend the chicken curry at dinner. If you do plan a visit to this peaceful and spiritual town you would be well served to choose Kokuu for your stay.

The service is really good. Thanks for the hospitality. The owner helps in any case and is openminded. The guest house is clean and has everything you need. The breakfast with the self-made rasin-bread is delicious.

What a great place! Koyasan can be over the top expensive, but kokuu is a great affordable option. I was there after completing the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage, and affordable was important to me. The capsule was just what you'd expect, and very comfortable. They also have small rooms available. And, bonus, it's really close to Okunoin. Ryochi is a fantastic host. The dinner and breakfast were both fantastic with some of the better coffee I had in Japan. I'd definitely stay there again.

We booked a room with a bunk bed (no capsule). The room was very clean and had rather modern furniture. The service was very good. The owner of the guesthouse knows perfect English and gave us great recommendations for restaurants and places in Koyasan. He even helped us at ordering a birthday cake for a friend as our group does not know perfect Japanese! The location of the guesthouse is fine, it‘s very close to okunoin-mae. If you plan to participate in the morning prayers, this might be the closest accommodation. It is rather far from the town Center, though. It is one of the cheaper acommodations in Koyasan. All in all, it definitely deserves its high rating on google maps.

While in Koyasan we had a Japanese lunch at Hanabishi. High prices but great location and food. The salmon but very tasty and not too sweet. The miso was delicious. There were two types of rice, which we have not always been offered. Instead of chicken, we got two fried shrimps. We were not too much into the rest of the things they added. As per usual, the omelette was artificially sweet and so were the rest of the things (including the pieces of fruit).

If you’re looking for a healthy balanced meal true to the Buddhist heritage of koyasan, this is the pit stop you need! They offer the most beautiful traditional Japanese bento boxes with a ton of variety (even the least luxurious set which I got felt very thoughtfully arranged and was more than enough to satisfy my cravings). The difference between our 2 sets was just sashimi and tempura. Sadly, we did not get to try the roasted eggplant which many locals were eating, but maybe next time!

Very tasty sushi bento box and nice vegan one. The meal felt balanced and the staff was very nice and spoke English very well so commutation was easy. The tea that was served before the meal was also very nice.

Delightful Japanese restaurant serving both meat and vegan options. Friendly service, great tasting and lovely food presentation!

We recenlly visited Koyasan and tried Hanabishi. It was the best meal of my entire Japan trip. Food was great in flavor and the hosts (a sweet Mother Daughter duo) were amazing. They were super kind. We came in almost at closing time but they still hosted us and showed great hospitality. Definitely recommend everyone visiting Koyasan to try ths place. Thanks,

Very friendly and polite staff. Very tasty buddhist-style bento boxes. Portions are quite large. Some are vegetarian and vegan. A bit pricey, but that’s expected in a very tourist place at the top of mountains. English menu is available. Highly recommended!

If you’re looking for vegetarian; vegan food , ask for the meal sets under the “Shojin-ryori” menu for no garlic; no onion ; Buddhist-monk diet. Sets range from $20usd -$60usd. The soy milk dessert is like a custard but ever so soft and delicately paired with a specially preserved persimmon . So amazing, My friends and I can’t wait to come back just for it.

I don't recommend this place for westerns. Food is OK, not cheap, but I didn't like the manners of the waitress since I was a western tourist.

Highly recommend this vegetarian restaurant. We ordered the 2800 yen set meal (Shojin Hanakago bento) which contains a variety of tofu cooked in different styles. All of the tofu dishes were incredibly delicious, and contained some of the highest quality tofu we have ever eaten. The other dishes like tempura vegetables and barley rice were also extremely fresh and well-executed. Do note that the restaurant fills up quickly after opening and sells out quite fast, so you should head there as early as possible. We started queuing at about 12pm and the restaurant sold out shortly after.

This is an informal, family-style shojin ryori restaurant. Shojin ryori is the traditional vegetarian cuisine common in Buddhist temples an monasteries (warning: this is not what many people in the West would consider vegetarian or vegan, since the soup can be made with fish stock. Place you go, custom you find, and it costs you nothing to ask if that's a problem for you). Service is brisk and the space unpretentious. Singularity, the dishes are good, though in my opinion not the best shojin ryori one can find, but a good "entry point" into this type of cuisine. The rice was very good too, which for me is always a good indication of the overall quality and care placed in the preparation of the meal.

Very good vegetarian and tofu based meal with local Koyasan produce.

This place is great. So much variety of flavors and textures. You get full but there is no heaviness afterwards. And this food is unique so if you aren't staying at a temple this is not to be missed

vegan friendly michellin star restaurant in Koyasan. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

The photos outside and on the menu make no justice at all to their excellent vegetarian dishes. Moreover it's cheap for the town. The average set is at 1100¥

Simple cafeteria/restaurant style. Ran by lovely people with all smiles. English menu available. Recommend their curry!!!!

Delicious, filling, and quick service for lunchtime in Koyasan. It's a convenient location besides bus stop 6 is great for a middle point from all sight-seeing places. The cutlet beef curry meal was great and at a good price.

A quaint little restaurant to have food up in Koyasan. The food was excellent and service was fast. The curry has small chunks of beef inside adding a nice surprise to the meal. Even the curry udon had beef chunks! All in all a great meal for really affordable pricing.

Everything we had (4 different plates) was amazing! Outside is not something that gives you chills but the food did. Welcome tea was offered. We chose: -Beef curry with rice and tempura shrimps -Beef curry with rice and fried pork (tonkatsu) -Beef curry udon soup -Chicken with rice and egg Really Japan has amazing food, but here was one of the tastier! Definitely worth it! Everyone was happy with their choices. Empty plates in the photo cause we were hungry! 4 stars for the atmosphere and the sad toilets 🥲

We chose the place because they were closing later than other restaurants around and, after a long morning walking, we wanted something to eat. We had to wait a little bit to have a table, although they told us it'd be around 20 mins and we got seated in less than 10. They give a free tea when seated. They have a menú with over 80dishes to choose. Food is tasty and quantity is fine to feel satiated. We ordered 2 dishes per person and paid about 2500¥ PAX which seemed cheap. I would recommend It for a pit stop before keeping on sightseeing.

Great food at very reasonable prices. Efficient and clean, perfect for a quick lunch while sight seeing. Don’t be put off by the front facade with the bowls of plastic display food, the real thing is much better!

Must try their Japanese tea buckwheat noodles - such a unique dish, both aesthetically pleasing and delicious! We also had their chilled soba, udon in curry soup and udon with shrimp and vegetable fritters. Each dish were amazing! Such a great food experience - will definitely visit again!

Good place to eat after visiting the cemetery. Quite good prices, food was good and fresh but not the best we had in Japan. Perfect for a quick lunch.

Nice location, close to the bus stop. The food tasted good, but the serving is quite small compared to what we are used to in Japan. I find the price for these portions a little on the high side. It has a fast food vibe, and the food came indeed very fast after ordering. It was ok.

Ramen was delicious. Price is not high even in this area crowded by tourists. Staff was very polite and speak good English.

Nice location just next to the bus stop. Tempura tastes amazing, and they also have sesame tofu which is specialty of the area. Fast service

Perfect Spot to eat before or after going to koyasan

Plain good food and fast service. Perfect for lunch. Don't hesitate to look into the menu in Japanese as you have more dishes and can choose based on pictures.

This just an OK lunch spot. You don't have a lot of choices in the area so this should work fine. Service will be fast and enable you to get out and see more of the breathtaking Koyasan area quickly.