Joki-in Temple (Pilgrim's Lodging) — Attraction in Koya

This isn't the "normal" tourist experience and doesn't have the "usual" amenities. What you get is the authentic sense of what it was like to live around 150-100 years ago in a traditional upper class Japanese home. Because although you are in a monastery there appear to be very few monks in residence, and the building itself resembles (on a much less extravagant scale) the palaces in Kyoto and Osaka.||||So yes, the room had no window, but that's because it's built in a traditional Japanese style where the rooms are off a corridor and the windows all face the corridor. If you want the view you go into the hallway--and the views here are all beautiful gardens. We were there in January and it was cold. The kerosene heater warmed the area and the heavy quilt and second blanket on the futon made sleeping nice and warm, but the room itself remained chill. A traditional device of a table with a heavy heated quilt kept our legs and feet quite warm during non-sleeping time, and the bath was a delight. Since I have tattoos, I was concerned because nothing said that tattoos were welcome in the public bath, but when I asked they said it was fine.||||All in all, the experience in the room and place really felt more like being in a mansion in Japan 150 years ago or so rather than a monastery per se, except for the early morning service, which we attended. It seemed there were few monks living here, but we truly enjoyed the sense of what life was like for the upper class in the 19th Cent.||||And the food--oh my, the food! It is all vegan, it is all delicious, and there was far more than I could possibly eat. I think dinner consisted of something like 8 dishes, or maybe more? Soba noodles, and another soup, a sesame tofu, tempura vegetables, four kinds of pickles, rice (of course!) roasted vegetables, and a lot of other things I forget. But each dish was distinct and utterly scrumptious. Breakfast wasn't quite as large, but was still too much for me (especially after the feast the night before) and was still quite varied (two different noodle soups, and rice and pickles and different preparations of vegetables than the night before) and it was wonderful. Entirely worth it for the food alone.||||We did attend the early morning service with the monks and found it very interesting and meditative--a calming way to...

This isn't the "normal" tourist experience and doesn't have the "usual" amenities. What you get is the authentic sense of what it was like to live around 150-100 years ago in a traditional upper class Japanese home. Because although you are in a monastery there appear to be very few monks in residence, and the building itself resembles (on a much less extravagant scale) the palaces in Kyoto and Osaka.||||So yes, the room had no window, but that's because it's built in a traditional Japanese style where the rooms are off a corridor and the windows all face the corridor. If you want the view you go into the hallway--and the views here are all beautiful gardens. We were there in January and it was cold. The kerosene heater warmed the area and the heavy quilt and second blanket on the futon made sleeping nice and warm, but the room itself remained chill. A traditional device of a table with a heavy heated quilt kept our legs and feet quite warm during non-sleeping time, and the bath was a delight. Since I have tattoos, I was concerned because nothing said that tattoos were welcome in the public bath, but when I asked they said it was fine.||||All in all, the experience in the room and place really felt more like being in a mansion in Japan 150 years ago or so rather than a monastery per se, except for the early morning service, which we attended. It seemed there were few monks living here, but we truly enjoyed the sense of what life was like for the upper class in the 19th Cent.||||And the food--oh my, the food! It is all vegan, it is all delicious, and there was far more than I could possibly eat. I think dinner consisted of something like 8 dishes, or maybe more? Soba noodles, and another soup, a sesame tofu, tempura vegetables, four kinds of pickles, rice (of course!) roasted vegetables, and a lot of other things I forget. But each dish was distinct and utterly scrumptious. Breakfast wasn't quite as large, but was still too much for me (especially after the feast the night before) and was still quite varied (two different noodle soups, and rice and pickles and different preparations of vegetables than the night before) and it was wonderful. Entirely worth it for the food alone.||||We did attend the early morning service with the monks and found it very interesting and meditative--a calming way to...

We are in town to hike some mountains (which were absolutely beautiful, especially since we were lucky to catch a rare fog that descended down from the top when we hiked up and eventually covered the whole mountain and town, adding even more to its mystic appearance) and not here for anything spiritual. We were thus not interested in the morning rituals offered. With that background, we found Jokiin, as an accommodation, charging quite a high price for what it offers.||||We came here at the end of November, coming directly by a seasonal tourist bus from Ryujin onsen (info in Kumano travel) and found Koyasan much colder (around 3 degrees Celsius) than the rest of the region due to its high altitude. Note that except for the reception area and the breakfast room, nowhere else in the establishment is heated. We were lucky to have chosen a room that includes a very modern private bathroom, otherwise some guests will just have to use the communal sinks to wash up near the freezing corridors. They also have a small room for you to relax and read a book but it was also not heated. With 30 tourists in a big breakfast room heated only with one gas heater in the center, eating cold food except for the rice and soup, frankly I was not too impressed with such ascetic experience.||||Talking about food, the vegetarian dinner served in the room was well presented and sumptuous. The only complaint I had was the tempura which was served cold.||||On the other hand, I didn't realize when I booked that the room we had has all the windows open to the corridors inside, thus there was no view at all. I didn't mind it too much as we were mostly out during the day, however be careful if you prefer a room with a view.||||Staff are efficient and friendly, though not...