May I respectfully inform any reader that Ecoin Temple dazzled and inspired us, leaving a deepest impression on our family, including our 4 sons from 13 to 24 years of age. It remains our most vivid memory from a beautiful two-week tour of Japan. My advice is "Hurry to here without delay!!" Our 13-year-old planned our trip, and so I had no idea where we were going next as we rode a public funicular railway up a steep mountainside. It was a surprise to learn we were visiting a UNESCO World Heritage village. A further surprise was the efficiency of the village, with a public bus waiting at the funicular summit, as a dozen tourists boarded and were dropped off at various local hotels. Our destination seemed modest on arrival, and it was surprising to be met by young and welcoming Buddhist monks who brought us to superbly modern and luxurious rooms. We were invited to learn basics of meditation at 5.00 pm, then we returned to our rooms where a superb and varied vegetarian feast had been laid out by monks, on tatami mats, awaiting us. Our beds were a super-luxurious version of the traditional Japanese inn offering of a sleeping pad on a tatami mat. Our rooms had private gardens with fast internet and giant TV's!! In the morning we attended a formal Buddhist ceremony with meditation that was an unforgettable lifetime experience. We were surrounded by walls of thousands of small golden and shimmering tokens commemorating individual monks who had been guiding these same rituals for over 1,500 years. Our modern monks seemed so unusually dedicated, peaceful, tolerant, efficient, and kindly, that I found it breathtaking to realize we were participating in a traditional ceremony practiced by perhaps 5,000 or 10,000 similarly dedicated monks, teaching the same lessons of simplicity, tolerance, peace, and avoidance of worldly ambitions, since 816 AD. Then we went to the Fire Ceremony nearby, that was even more astounding in visual beauty and inspiration.

It was perfect

My stay at Ekoin Temple and Koyasan was the highlight of a two-week trip to Japan. Our accommodations were lovely and very comfortable -- we were in a little suite in one of the newer buildings. What made the stay so special were the meditation sessions, morning service, and fire ceremony that we were able to participate in. These experiences helped lift me from the depression I was feeling from the US presidential election! We were also surprised and delighted by the beautifully prepared vegetarian meals served in our private dining room...we truly felt like honored guests. Also liked the location of Ekoin which was just about a 5-minute walk to Okunoin Cemetery and the meeting spot for the night tour of the cemetery. I highly recommend doing the tour, which should be booked in advance. I even went back to the cemetery during the day time....it's that beautiful and special.

Nothing!

Absolutely everything was amazing ! The location, the staff, the food, amenities. Was really nice to have an introduction to meditation and being able to attend to the ceremonies in the morning.

Little tip/ warning if you are staying there in winter : bring warm clothes with you for the non heated lobby and common area (no worries for in the room !) + bring some good warm socks for the morning ceremonies + 2 pairs of shoes : the shoes are staying at night outside so you will find them frozen the next morning. Have a second pair of dry shoes to avoid your toes freezing to death haha

We loved absolutely everything. We stayed 15 days in Japan and this was our favourite spot by far!

Nothing - it was all amazing 😁

Ekoin is an absolutely beautiful place to stay. Our room was lovely and the view out into the established gardens was breathtaking. The food was delicious and we had warm Sake delivered to our room. We attended the evening meditation, morning ritual and the fire ritual; the latter two being very powerful experiences. It is amazing.

There was a loud couple talking at the top of their voice unaware of the tranquil surroundings. Maybe a simple request from staff to be more considerate.

We stayed in Delux Family Room, which is large (50m2) and has a very spacious bathroom. There is a large bed for 2 and third person slept in the separate "room" on tatami rolled out bed. Everything was super nice and clean. We liked the location and ability to participate in meditation/morning service and fire ritual. There is a very elaborate kaiseki Japanese meal (all vegetarian) served in a private room on tatami. Monks speak very good english.

People who prefer meat diet or non-japanese options may struggle with the Kaiseki meal for dinner and breakfast. The stay was a bit impersonal and our room was in the new building and felt out of place. All other guests stayed in cheaper main building rooms. Our premium room was quite pricy - paid 1,000 USD for 3 people as cheaper options were no longer available, i wish they were.

This was my second visit to Ekoin and once again it was such a unique and unforgettable experience! Koyasan and Ekoin give you a real moment to unwind from the bustling Japanese cities. The temple is a 5min walk from the Okunoin cemetery where you can enjoy walking through the ancient cedar trees and beautiful stone tombs. Ekoin offers a glimpse into Buddhist life with its meditation and fire ceremony session. Dinner and breakfast are an experience by itself, allowing you to discover a real Buddhist meal - you’ll get to taste various vegetarian delicacies which were absolutely delicious! The working monks are all super friendly and you can easily communicate in English. If you’re only interested in enjoying the temple experience then a 1 night stay will suffice (what we did), however, if you want to take a moment to relax a bit more and to spend more time in nature and the temple then I would recommend a 2 night stay. I can only highly recommend Ekoin - it’s a real gem! And I look forward to visiting it again a third time in future!

Ekoin only offers shared toilets which may create some awkward moments with other guests (which we experienced). Some might find this uncomfortable but they were always very clean and are equipped with great Japanese toilets.

A lovely experience - we especially enjoyed the meditation, morning prayers and amazing traditional vegetarian meals provided. The location is great- just a couple of minutes walk from the incredible cemetary and 15 minutes walk into the centre of town. Our room with bathroom was spacious and very comfortable, with lovely garden outside.

The inn was larger than we realised, so it didn't feel as authentic as we expected, especially having to cross a car park to reach our room. This was an expensive temple stay compared to others in Koyasan, so we had expected it to be more intimate and personal, rather than 50 or so people at the morning prayers.

Greeted and oriented by a delightful German novice who was fluent in English. Very comfortable futon, lovely room and beautiful temple, nice coffee machine, gourmet Japanese meals for dinner and breakfast. Fire ceremony was an astounding experience. The cemetery was a very short walk away.

This is not the temple's fault but many of the other Western guests acted like they were at Epcot rather than at a religious site. They took photos with their phones during the fire ceremony (I think the temple shouldn't allow this; it's distracting). My neighbors talked loudly and there's no soundproofing between the rooms.

It’s an exceptional place to stay. With real monks that will take you into the Buddhist world. The food is great and we had a beautiful view on the temple and Sakura

The walls are paper thin, so even when your neighbors whisper you can hear them. I found that this could be emphasized as some cultures are not aware of their volume. Cameras are aloud in the ceremonies which I found a shame. One person was filming the whole fire ceremony which is annoying if you sit behind them. Please just enjoy the ceremonies and leave your smartphone in your room