Travel for Life

Figure 1.  Autumn Colors could be seen if at the right time Attention: Click  here  to view a mobile-friendly version. On 11/26/2016, I have finally arrived Koyasan (高野山) in the Kansai region of Japan.  Below photo shows the temple called 本覚院 that I have booked for staying overnight.  My goals of visiting Koyasan in the autumn are to: View autumn colors that Koyasan is famous for [7] Stay in a temple to experience the simple life of a Buddhist monk (or Shukubo ) Visit famous places such as Garan (壇上伽藍) and Okunoin (奥の院) Figure 2.  Front view of 本覚院  temple My decision was based on reading an article on japanguide.com , which says that Koyasan is one of the best places in Japan to experience a night at a temple, with more than 50 temples in town serving as shukubo . In this article, I will describe my personal experience of visiting Koyasan―starts with the process of choosing and booking a temple to stay. Which Temple to Sta...

Updated on 11/06/2020: Bookings can be made on the  Terahaku  website and via Rakuten LIFULL STAY, Vacation STAY and other hotel booking services inside and outside Japan starting from August 1, 2018. In 2004, UNESCO designated Mt. Kōya (or  Koyasan ) along with two other locations on the Kii Peninsula , as " Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range ." [1] Koyasan  is also one of the best places in Japan to experience a night at a temple, with more than 50 temples in town serving as shukubo   /  宿坊  /   temple lodging —you can watch this video  for a feeling of it. [2] Temple Lodging You can find out some temple lodging reviews on  japanican.com .  For example, Daienin  ( 大円院 )  More details  here Eko-in ( 恵光院 )  Rengejo-in 　 蓮華定院  Fudou-in 不動院 (15,200 yen; Check-in: 3pm; Check-out: 10am)  Henjoko-in  ( 遍照光院 )  Ichijoin  ( 乗院 )  Kum...