Koyasan Special Head Temple Shojoshin-in — Attraction in Koya

The temple is located at the end of the main road, right next to the Okonuin cemetery, which I recommend seeing in the evening when they turn on all the lights. The room was spacious and neat, on the third floor, with a balcony overlooking Carp Lake. The room had everything you need: air conditioning, a sink, two/three comfortable futons, and a table with the necessities for making traditional tea. The bathroom is shared but clean; there are several on each floor. There are also two typical Japanese bathrooms, where you can shower, and hot water tubs, where you can lay and relax. Unfortunately, they are only open from 4 to 9 p.m., so it is not possible to take a shower in the morning. In the morning you can wake up early to follow the prayer. In addition, the monks, at the end of it, will be kind and accompany you around the temple showing the history of their religion. They speak English quite well. I highly recommend the Goma ceremony (fire ceremony) at 1 p.m. A unique experience. I tried the typical breakfast but it was not for me. On the other hand, it is the typical monks' breakfast, without meat or fish, and it is also an...

Today I was supposed to be in Koyasan in a monastery run by Buddhist monks. For this reason, early in the morning I went to the streets of Gion in Kyoto, to greet them one last time full of the snow that had fallen during the night. A wonderful vision, at times the sun opened a breach in the clouds. I think I was very lucky. Then, at the station, I dealt with the snow emergency. After checking and discussing with a lady at the ticket office, I had to surrender to the absence of train connections with my destination due to snow. All Nankai Koya Line routes cancelled. I phone the monastery and refer to the day after my visit and in the meantime I reschedule the last few days in Japan. Koyasan tomorrow... but more likely it will be Kobe given the persistence of the snow emergency. Too bad but I gained another day with Matteo and Federico, who are going back to Tokyo tomorrow to go to Italy. And tomorrow, however, I will say goodbye to Kyoto, which I really liked. #japan #kyoto #gionkyoto #koyasan #traveldiaries...

Really peaceful, clean, and welcoming. My partner and I came here based on reviews I’d seen online, and we weren’t disappointed. We were welcomed by a staff member, who checked us in and explained the schedule and various etiquette.

Was totally impressed by the vegetarian dinner. There was so much food - we could barely finish! The monks who served us were extremely friendly and kind. They made it a delight to stay.

The temple itself is beautiful and very well maintained. We chose this spot because it’s so close to Okonuin Cemetery - just a few steps away for an evening or early morning walk. We regrettably missed the morning prayer because we showed up right at 630am. I would recommend getting downstairs for prayer at around 625am. Highly...