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

Staying at Eko-in was an exceptional and unforgettable experience. I highly recommend booking the Okunoin cemetery night tour—it was both atmospheric and deeply moving. The meals are fully vegetarian and beautifully presented. If you're not a fan of tofu, some of the dinner dishes might not be to your taste—but that, too, is part of the cultural and spiritual experience. I was initially anxious about sleeping on a traditional futon, but it turned out to be surprisingly comfortable and added to the overall sense of authenticity. A truly unique stay.

Gorgeous environment, very nice stay in a beautiful building with great traditional food and pleasant staff. Amazing to be able to partake in the morning services as well!

There's some extra services one can pay for (like buying prayers) which feels a little off for a temple and makes the experience feel a bit more touristic I guess. It's also an old building so one has to take into account that it doesn't have the same comfort as a modern building (for example bathrooms communal in the hallway, room not lockable). That personally didn't bother us though.

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!

- Best-located shukubo where you can start your Okunoin excursion - Monk events included - Moderate food volume which I did not expect (looks like increased in size for tourists) - Good command of English which is unusual for Japan - Room which opens to a pond in the yard - Okunoin excursion I took that separately on the awesome-tours website, however it was carried out by one of the monks. And it was cool. In fact Koyasan is among the top places in Japan I've been to.

- Monks were indeed not friendly, they just served. Their morning events such as pray/fire seemed uneager. - Squirrels and frogs were loudly squaking whole night - Room connected with interior doors and windows to other rooms and everything is heard. So when someone gets up 5 am and starts roaming around or even talking you hear that. This place is 100% tourist oriented and you can't fully absorb meditation or spiritical enlightenment there - take that into account. And quite expensive, there are shukubos which lot cheaper.

Koya-san is a truly unique place and I was so glad that I decided to take the plunge and book an overnight temple stay here. Offering vegan dinner and breakfast as well as the chance to experience and participate in meditation training, Buddhist morning services and goma in picturesque Wakayama (with perfectly timed lightly falling snow) was wonderful all around. The staff takes immaculate care of the property and guests at every step, with meals of course being one of the highlights. While it was cold and winter (making sitting out in the many picturesque lounge areas a little unpleasantly chilly) the rooms were wonderfully warm. Lots of modern touches I was not completely expecting (including plentiful beautifully updated bathrooms at seemingly every corner) were appreciated. Being so near to Oku-in was wonderful - had time to explore in the evening after dinner (if you want to join the night tour that is booked separate from these lodgings) and was easily able to access the area again in the morning for an INCREDIBLY quiet and peaceful walk through the cemetary and cedars.

Nothing.

Started with a tour of Koyasan that happened to be with one of the Ekoin monks, Nori. It was the highlight of our week in Japan! He was so informative. It added tremendously to the experience for myself and my two adult children. The rooms were wonderful and comfortable. The dinner was exceptional as well. The morning prayer session was fascinating. My only added suggestion would be to ask guests to leave their cell phones outside the door in their shoes. Pictures are nice but detract from the experience. Same with the fire experience. Other than that, amazing!

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

Nothing - it was all amazing 😁

Very traditional, clean, comfortable, staff were lovely and attentive and spoke English well. Well maintained property. Also the morning rituals and cemetery night tours are a must. You can book Heritage pass which allows you to get on the cable car and buses. However you can just use your suica card which is probably easier in the end

Although traditional and absolutely fine to eat. It wasn’t satisfying to the kids. You may need pack something extra as the quantity wasn’t enough for growing teenagers.

We loved everything about our temple stay. The staff are super kind and friendly. We were very lucky to be able to book the comfort family room for the two of us. The facilities in the room was superb. The dinner was the best vegetarian and Japanese food we’ve ever had! We have been to Japan 5 times and staying at Ekoin has been the highlight of our entire Japanese travels. We are also very lucky to have experienced the meditation, morning prayers and especially the fire ceremony. We can’t wait to come back soon!!