Nipponia Hotel Koyasan Pilgrimage Railway — Hotel in Kudoyama

This is by far the best and most fun stay of our entire vacation! You arrive by train, hop off, check out, walk 5 meters and you open the door to your room. I mean, it doesn't get any better than this!

A super easy remote check-in with a code for the door. The room is super spacious, it had the best beds we've had, a really nice Japanese toilet, a lovely bathroom with a nice tub, and very decent wifi as well. But the setting and vibe itself is definitely it's best feature. The room has all these lovely train station details which really add to the experience! You'd think that the trains coming in at the train station would be loud and something that'll keep you up at night. But this wasn't the case at all. I wouldn't say it's well isolated per se but the trains just aren't that loud so you can definitely have a good night's rest. And I just really loved the sounds of trains coming in and leaving.

Another cool thing is that the room supplies you with breakfast coupons and train tickets to go to the next station (Kudoyama) which takes just a few minutes. At Kudoyama station there's this small kiosk which makes amazing onigiri (rice balls) and miso soup, a pelgrims snack. With the coupon you can get a free breakfast every day which is definitely something we can recommend! In Kudoyama you have some convenience stores and restaurants so if you'd like to have diner or go to a convenience store, Kudoyama is your best option. Taking the train to Kudoyama and walking back to Koyashita is a very lovely walk and takes you maybe 50 minutes tops (some roads with little cover from cars though).

Another recommendation is visiting Koyasan of course! The birthplace of buddhism in Japan. An amazing area with a lot of temples and a huge gorgeous cemetery. If you can, be sure to attend the Jukai ceremony at one of the temples. An unforgettable experience! You can easily spent an entire day (or even two) in Koyasan. You take a train, cable car and bus to reach this area but all very easy and straight forward to travel with.

So all in all an excellent place to stay if you like a truly unique experience, some peace and quiet and be near Koyasan. It's located in a quiet area surrounded by forest and a river. Which is actually really nice to take a cold plunge in! Super cold and a strong current so...

From the outside, it looks like an old, quiet train station. You would never know there were actual rooms in there. But once you are inside. WOW! |The furnishings are exquisite. The latest modern plumbing and lights but with enough of the old beams and train paraphernalia to give the place character.|And so CLEAN. There weren't even cobwebs anywhere. My toddler son ran behind the curtains and rubbed his hands all over the windowsill and there was not a speck of dust. There is a heater, and air conditioner and the wifi speed was the fastest we've had on the mountain tops. The shower was the perfect temperature, and we had an excellent time soaking in the tub after a long day, with the scent of hinoki coming off the wood panelling in the bathroom. There is a fridge, a microwave, a kettle, you could have a whole cozy meal in there.|Yes you can hear the trains come and go, and you can hear people coming past your door on the way to the train, but the station itself is very quiet. I counted no more than 10 passengers passing by in my one day stay here. And they provide ear plugs if necessary, though I personally didn't find the sound of the electric trains passing too noisy. But then again i love trains and my son and I spend a long time sitting by the window watching them pass. We've noted that the first trains start around 5am, and the last trains about 11.30pm. (do remember to close your curtains if you are changing though the train passengers can see right inside if they wanted to.)|And yes this place is not right at Koyasan, but the train up to Koyasan -Eki takes only about 30-40 min so its a nice quiet base for a trip up the mountain to see that lovely world heritage site. We would love to come back again and stay 2 nights so that we can take time to explore the area. The station itself, Koyashita is a charming quiet small village. Not much going on, but my family and I had a lovely walk around pass the shrine behind the station to see the river nearby (the sound of the water pass our window was relaxing). The neighbouring station Kudoyama has some lovely resturants/cafes and a wonderful museum. And yes that is where you get your complementary riceball breakfast with tea prepared fresh by the lovely team in...

Style. Riverside Taishō Era train station turned into a Nipponia hotel. I love their projects that preserve and repurpose historical buildings

Setting. Kōyashita 高野下 train Station in Kudoyama, 30 min from soul stirring Koyashan, an escape from the daily grind

Explore. Kudoyama to Koyashan pilgrimage route

Rooms. 2 retro rooms. I was in 高野 Koya room. Part of what used to be the train crews’ waiting room. People actually get on and off this station. Ear plugs provided but the passing trains did not bother me. Everything was antique except the modern bathroom which I appreciated

@ the hotel. Breakfast is onigiri, by train down the mountain at Kudoyama station’s. How fun is that ?!

Food & drinks. Bring your own. I brought sushi from 柿の葉すし 九和楽 “Kuwaraku” and other stuff from two roadside stations

Prices. US$285 twin beds room.

Rating. 4/5 tranquil time...