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

Mount Kōya is an auspicious destination in Japan and if you wish to create a pinnacle experience, consider a stay at this ryokan managed by Buddhist monks. A stay comes with dinner and breakfast of vegetarian cuisine served by the monks in a large dining hall on tatami mats. A peaceful and monastic patina was painted over our entire stay which concluded with an optional 6 AM prayer and meditation session in the temple. We were treated like visiting family by a young and enthusiastic monk who attended to us for the duration of our stay, carried our bags, and bid us farewell on our departure. There are options to get to Mount Kōya but I strongly recommend the cable car run by JR Rail from Gokurakubashi which will help you picture the isolation of the monastic destination. Don't expect to be alone however. The mountain and temple settlement seems to be covered with primarily Japanese tourists all times of the year. This mountain is the resting place of Kōbō-Daishi - the Grand Master Who Propagated the Buddhist Teaching. It is also on the list of Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range. Don't miss a walk through the Okunoin cemetery - the largest in all of Japan - with over 200,000 graves of Buddhist monks and some of the biggest hemlock and umbrella pine trees...

We stayed one night in this beautiful temple. Both diner and breakfast were amazing. This is a place of worship, not a hotel, so there is a curfew: doors close after 10 PM. To participate in prayer with the monks, you’ll need to get up before breakfast at 6 AM. We arrived after trekking up Mount Koya on the Choishi Michi trail, which I can recommend. The optimal way to experience this is to travel light, trek up the mountain, enjoy the onsen baths, and sit down for a traditional dinner. You get up the next morning, pray with the monks if you like, have breakfast, and leave early. The monks aren’t hotel staff, they’re the hosts of the temple. Treat the location as such, and your expectations will...

The temple was beautiful and felt truly authentic. The rooms were all spacious, and while the bathrooms and showers were shared, they were clean and never crowded. We booked through Booking.com. Dinner and breakfast were included, and I had informed the temple in advance about my celiac disease.

They went above and beyond, not only was everything delicious, but they made a real effort to offer me gluten-free options just as good as everyone else’s. The cook was incredibly kind and asked me several times how I was doing, she genuinely cared and wanted to make sure I felt good and enjoyed the food.

I also highly recommend joining the morning prayer — such a...