Muryoko-in Temple (Pilgrim's Lodging) — Hotel in Koya

I had an amazing experience staying at Muryokoin in Koyasan. The temple itself is just beautiful, and my room was clean and very traditional which was a lot of fun. Being from Australia this was my first time sleeping in a traditional room with tatami mats, a very comfortable futon, painted screen walls and a kotatsu. In the morning myself and the rest of the overnight guests were invited to attend the 6am Buddhist morning ceremony. I had no idea what to expect, but the ceremony was just mesmerizing. I felt very privileged to be given an opportunity to witness the temple's monks perform their sutras, and afterwards we joined a few for a chat around fresh brewed tea and traditional biscuits. A German priest Shumizu-San kindly translated and spoke with me in English, as the other guests and priests spoke only Japanese. The presence of English language priests was definitely what led me to choose Muryokoin as my temple stay in Koyasan. Price was another factor, as many temples at Koyasan can cost up to Y13,000 per night. Muryokoin was very affordable, even with the add on of a traditional Buddhist breakfast. I didn't choose the dinner, but definitely will next time as the food...

Great experience in this monastery, I recommend it. As tourist and foreigners, without prior experience of japanese rooms and meals, we enjoyed staying in this place even more than I had anticipated.

We slept on futons with some duvets and heavy blankets as bed cover. I believe the pillows were made of buckwheat or some sort of grain. Although the futon matress were a bit hard, all of us (4 people) slept quite well and had a restful night.

They provide a good heater in each room and have a very interesting system were a low table is fitted we blankets and has a heater below it to warm your legs and feet. This is a great idea that I wish we adopted in North America for the winter months.

The rooms well decorated (Japanese style). They also have public bath ( male and female separated) that I believe are a very typical Japanese experience.

Breakfast and dinner were also interesting as the menu was really different from what we are used to order elsewhere in Japan (old style Japanese boudhist/vegan food).

Overall, we were extremely happy with our stop in Koya-san. Someone having a bit more time and liking hiking could even stay for more than one night (although it's a...

I stayed 2 nights at the Muryoko-in after a 4 day walk on the Kumano Kodo. Check-in was easy, the facilities are adequate, and hospitality is plenty. Little English is spoke, but everyone makes an effort to help and assist when required. There are a few rules, after all, this is a working Buddhist monastery. Eating, sleeping, and even bathing is precisely scheduled and coordinated. No showers or baths before 1630. Hot water is a bit hit and miss... but the rooms are well heated in winter and I did notice an AC above the windows. The food is exclusively vegan, no options there. It was delicious and if you are staying more than one night you get to experience a variety of things. The room is very spacious, no TV, no toilet, or running water. You are invited to participate in the morning's prayers. Overall, a great experience... the monks are a lot more forgiving than given credit for... In a town of plenty, this is a...