Eko-in Temple (Pilgrim's Lodging) — Local services in Koya

When planning my trip to Japan, I went out of my way to go to Ekoin Temple. I were going to Tokyo and Kyoto and I thought this would be a wonderful way to end the vacation and that it would be the highlight of our trip. I thought that it would be a very unique, off the beaten path, "authentic" experience. ||Pro(s) - (1) The room was beautiful. No question about it. The room was large, and comfortable. We booked what I believe was the most expensive room because I was not sure what to expect in a "monastery" and I thought that this would be the safest option.||Comment - (1) - We pre-ordered the "best" meal. There was a lot of food. We just didn't like it. I can't blame Ekoin, it may have been good - but there wasn't much that we liked.||For two people, you are served in your room. At first I thought that they just didn't have extra space (after all, this is a monastery not a hotel). I now believe it is because there are a lot of people, and it would "detract" from the religious/calm atmosphere that you would expect in a monastery.||Con(s) - (1) Outrageously expensive for what you get.|It doesn't seem that you are invited to witness the daily rituals of the monastery / monks. It is more like 40+ people squeezed around a small area where two monks chant and light a fire. Not to say that it wasn't unusual, but this was more of a "show". As it just so happens, I (unexpectedly) saw a fire ritual in Tokyo, in an operating temple. Only a few people, some were there to pray. |That was probably the highlight of my trip to Japan.|Again, not to say that Ekoin was "bad", it was just not worth the money or effort to get there.|(2) Night cemetery tour - again, it was fine. Nothing was "wrong" - but we walked through the cemetery for about an hour. It was OK - but again, not worth the money.||In conclusion, this is certainly ok (but not a highlight). Very expensive for what you get. Maybe if you are in Koyasan and hiking or doing something else, this might make more sense. There is only one bus going back and forth to Kyoto/Osaka so timing may be an issue especially if you have a flight to catch. We didn't realize it when we booked this, but the cost was an additional $350 (USD) to take a taxi back to Osaka. Keep the logistics and total cost in mind and then decide if Ekoin will be a good...

Going against the grain here, but this place is a really money making machine run by rude monks that subsist off hippy-dippy Euro-American tourists who are perfectly content to live their orientalist fantasy. This isn’t a serious place if you want to practice Buddhism, contemplate, or be at peace. You’ll be surrounded either by hippy caucasians trying to find themselves or spoiled college kids on vacation who don’t know how to be quiet or respect sacred spaces. The English language meditation session is literally just them projecting a video onto a screen, no monk present, and you’re in a room full of these people for 30min. Literally nightmarish. A ill-mannered college kid started grunting in the middle of it while laying down on the floor. And yes, yes he was. (iykyk)

The staff were a mix of rude, standoffish, or otherwise cordial monks who seemed really over serving overzealous tourists. The reception was really in-and-out. They’re really running a business here. They don’t care much about you, other than you pay them money and check out on time.

The temple itself is okay. Not the most beautiful or large, tho there are nice screen paintings around. The room was small, kind of dilapidated, and they don’t give you much in terms of amenities. Though there is free coffee and tea near reception. The bath is small, and the water has a pretty hefty dose of chlorine inside of it. Wasn’t the most pleasant to bathe in. Don’t come in thinking it’s a nice sento.

The night tour was interesting, Nobu-san was the most polite monk we encountered during our stay, so shout out to him for great service. He didn’t explain much detail if you are actually familiar with Japanese history. We passed by the memorials for Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen and not a word was said about them! I suggest you walk through on tour own. Plus, they charge you more for the english tour than the Japanese one. This is a common thing throughout Japan, it’s a tourist/foreigner premium.

The only redeeming factor of this place is the food. The shojin ryori is great, and the koya-dofu is a must try, but as the name suggests, you can get koya-dofu almost anywhere in Koya.

Honestly reconsider your stay here, get a smaller...

This was the part of my trip I was most excited about (and the most expensive!) but sadly wasn’t what I had hoped for at all. Both Koyasan and Ekoin were incredibly commercial - extra costs everywhere, felt like it was designed for tourists. The prayer and meditation ceremonies were nice, but seemed put on just for visitors like a show - it wasn’t a case of visitors observing the routine of the temple. Food truck in the main courtyard and building works on the front gate sort of ruined the vibe, and I think we got unlucky with a room in the annex overlooking the road, which was disappointing. The beds comfy but the covers only just cover the quilt and easily come off in the night, so you end up sleeping on an uncovered duvet. It’s not a huge issue but weird when you’re paying so much! I had also thought that the cemetery tour was included for Ekoin guests, but it wasn’t. That’s fair enough, but it cost an extra 4500 yen each on top of 35k yen per person already. For a walking tour! Crazy! We did our own research and walked the cemetery at night by ourselves, which was amazing - lots of others doing similar too. That was the best bit of our stay. The food was amazing, and all the meditation and prayer add ons were good, but overall I strongly don’t recommend koyasan or ekoin if you’re looking for a temple stay. Maybe other temples in koyasan would be better, or I’ve heard good things about other temple stays in the mountains...