• Understand
• See
• Do
• Eat
• Get out

Temple roofs in Mt. Koya

Mount Kōya (高野山 Kōya-san) [1] is a mountain in Wakayama prefecture to the south of Osaka, Japan, primarily known as the headquarters of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism.

[edit] Understand

First settled in 816 by the monk Kūkai as a retreat far away from the courtly intrigues of Kyoto, Mt. Koya is located in a 800m-high valley amid the 8 peaks of the mountain. The original monastery has grown into the town of Koya, featuring a university dedicated to religious studies and over 100 temples, many of which offer lodging to pilgrims.

In 2004, UNESCO designated Mt. Koya as a World Heritage Site

[edit] Get in

[edit] By train

The mountain is accessible primarily by the Nankai Electric Railway from Namba Station in Osaka, which connects to Gokurakubashi at the base of the mountain. Koya limited expresses take 80 minutes and cost ¥1610, while ordinary expresses are lower priced at ¥1210 and take only 10 minutes longer at 90 minutes. The final half of the trip is a slow climb up into the mountains and extremely scenic in good weather.

A cable car from Gokurakubashi then whisks visitors to the top in 5 minutes for ¥360. From the cable car station you'll have to take a bus to town (5-15 minutes depending on your destination). Train, cable car and bus schedules are synchronized so this works better than it may sound.

[edit] By car

If you have your own set of wheels, you can also head east towards Ise or south to Ryujin Onsen and southern Wakayama. Both roads are small and there is no public transportation, but daring souls might try hitching.

[edit] On foot

Before the train and cable car connection, which was built in the early 20th century, the only way to reach Mt. Koya was via the ancient pilgrim trail called the Chōishi-michi (町石道) which is still maintained and marked with stone pillars every chō (about 108 meters) - these have given the trail its name. It begins in the town of Kudoyama (九度山), which is a stop on the train line to Mt. Koya, at the Jison temple (慈尊院). The trail is about 22km long, ascends about 700 meters (most of this in the first and last quarters) and can be walked in about 7 hours plus resting time, offering a very rewarding hiking experience.

[edit] See

Palisade of grave markers in Okunoin Cemetery, Mt. Koya

The mountain is home to the following famous sites:

• To the east of town is Oku-no-In (奥の院), the mausoleum of Kukai, lit by thousands of lanterns. According to tradition, the lights have been lit since Kukai's death over 1000 years ago.
• The mausoleum is surrounded by an atmospheric and immense graveyard, set among giant cedar trees with winding paths throughput. Particularly interesting are the many fanciful gravestones, including giant spaceships and cups erected respectively by an astronautical and coffee company, and a monument erected by a pesticide company to commemorate all its insect victims.
• The Garan (伽藍) is a temple complex designed by Kukai on the western side of town. In its center is the Konpon Daitō (根本大塔) pagoda, which according to Shingon doctrine represents the central point of a mandala covering not only Mt. Koya but all of Japan.
• Kongōbu-ji Temple (金剛峯寺) is the sprawling yet atmospheric headquarters of the Shingon sect, with a stone garden that outclasses many of Kyoto's best. Entry ¥500, including a rice cracker and a cup of tea.

[edit] Do

[edit] Eat

Huge rice cooking pots at Kongobuji Temple, Mt. Koya

All temple lodgings on Mt. Koya offer shōjin ryori, purely vegetarian food intended for monks. People who equate vegetarian food with blandness will be surprised - in their hundreds of years of experience with vegetarian cooking, the monks have invented amazingly tasty dishes. An exception is the local specialty, Kōya-dōfu, prepared by freeze-drying and then reconstituting tofu, which manages to be even more tasteless than the original.

• Hanabishi (花菱), next to Senjuinbashi (千手院橋) bus stop, tel. 0736-56-2236. This classy restaurant has been serving customers for over 120 years and is a good option for sampling Buddhist vegetarian fare if you're not staying overnight. A shojin ryori lunch set runs ¥2100, while a full-on multi-course vegetarian kaiseki experience runs ¥5000-10500 (cheaper at lunch). Note that some of the Bento sets are not vegetarian, so stick with shojin ryori for the "real thing".

For those unwilling to eat vegetarian, a number of restaurants offer regular Japanese and Chinese cuisine. There are also many reasonably priced izakaya around the center of town that offer a range of many traditional Japanese pub foods.

• Ima-chan. A fresh fish based pub on the left hand side of the road on the way to Nyounindo from town, just past the Mausoleum of the Tokugawas, prices range from ¥300-1500 and much of the menu is based on the time of year. English menu not available.
• Inoue Diagonally across from the CoCo convenience store. Boasts the largest Om-Rice (omelette filled with rice and some meat) in Japan, ¥550. English menu available.
• Miyasan. Centrally located in the middle of Koyasan, just South of the main traffic lights, it has a menu of about 50 items ranging from ¥200-1000. The inn's banner states that its specialty is fried chicken, although all the items are of high quality. The Ramen is particularly filling. English Menu available.
• International Cafe (Bon An Sha). Located on the the left hand side of the main road as one walks from the centre of town to Okunoin cemetery, 150m from the main traffic lights, this cafe and art gallery specialises in organic vegetarian lunches (price varies depending on contents of set. Around ¥800). The menu changes daily, and a number of homemade cakes are available, as well as coffees and teas (¥300). The couple who run the cafe are collectively native speakers of French, English and Japanese and also fluent in Italian and Mandarin Chinese.

[edit] Sleep

[edit] Budget

• Koyasan Youth Hostel, tel. 0736-56-2009, [2]. A tiny youth hostel with only 13 beds, where you can stay for ¥3,360 per night if you have an IYHF membership card (¥1,000 surcharge otherwise).

[edit] Mid-range

About half of the over 120 temples in town offer lodging for pilgrims, known as shukubō in Japanese. Prices vary between ¥9,000 and ¥15,000 per night and include two meals. You will be offered the opportunity to join in the morning prayer session, a hypnotic experience involving sutra chanting, incense and gongs. Outside the main season, you can just show up at the Koya cable car station and book from there, but generally reservations are preferred. A full list is available here, but note that not all temples are set up to handle visitors who don't speak Japanese.

• Daienin (大圓院), tel. 0736-56-2009, [3]. A fairly typical temple, centrally located (walking distance to both ends of town) and run by a friendly bunch of monks.

[edit] Get out

Many of the pilgrims visiting Mount Koya are on their way to start the 88 Temple Pilgrimage on the island of Shikoku.

Not far outside Koya, approx. 15 min by car, is Otaki, a small town aptly named for the large waterfalls at its entrance. Once past Okunoin, take the Ryujin Skyline towards Shirahama and look for a small sign about 15 min down the road. The entrance should be on the right. Take the small road downward for about 2 minutes and the 2 large waterfalls should be visible from the road. It is an especially nice place to stop and have a picnic before leaving Koya.

Template:Usable