Koyasan
高野山34°13′ N 135°35′ ETemple
Koyasan suits travellers who want a night in a working mountain temple town and the walk through Okunoin at dusk, and its trade-off is a long climb by train and cable car from Osaka.
Photo Adam Jones from Kelowna, BC, Canada · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 and others, credited in the gallery
Visiting with care · Open to visitors
Koyasan is a living temple town where monks hold services every day.
- Halls can change times or close for ceremonies; the temple warns that service times move.
- Okunoin is a cemetery and the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi; behave as you would at a grave.
- Koyasan is the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism and a place of daily practice. Keep your voice low in the halls and at Okunoin.
- If you stay in a temple lodging, keep to the temple's meal and bath times and ask before you join a morning service.
- Ask before photographing monks or services.
Related places
Koyasan is the mountain-top home of Shingon Buddhism, with Kongobu-ji as its head temple. Okunoin, the cemetery that leads to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi, is the heart of the place for pilgrims. Its Toro-do lantern hall opens at 6:00, and monks chant there at set times through the day.
Many temples on the mountain take overnight guests as shukubo. You sleep inside a working temple and live by its hours, and Kongobu-ji's site links to the shukubo association for bookings.
From Osaka you take the Nankai Koya line to Gokurakubashi and then the Koyasan cable car to the top. The temple's shared ticket covers five halls, Kongobu-ji among them, for ¥2,500.
Worth knowing
- Buy the ¥2,500 shared ticket if you plan to see Kongobu-ji, the Kondo, the Konpon Daito and the Tokugawa mausoleum.
- The Okunoin offering office opens later in winter, at 8:30, and closes at 16:30.
Quick answers about Koyasanよくある質問
How do I get to Koyasan from Osaka?
Take the Nankai Koya line from Namba to Gokurakubashi and change to the Koyasan cable car. From KIX, take the Nankai airport line and change to the Koya line at Tengachaya.
Can you stay overnight at a temple in Koyasan?
Yes. Many Koyasan temples take overnight guests as shukubo, and you follow the temple's meal and bath times during your stay.
Can you visit Koyasan?
Open to visitors. Halls can change times or close for ceremonies; the temple warns that service times move. Okunoin is a cemetery and the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi; behave as you would at a grave.
How much does Koyasan cost?
Prices at Koyasan start at ¥500 per person (2026), about CAD 4.50 or USD 3.20 (October 2026 rates).
What are the opening hours of Koyasan?
Koyasan is open kongobu-ji, the Kondo and the Konpon Daito open 8:30 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30. The Reihokan treasure hall opens 9:00 to 17:00. At Okunoin the Toro-do lantern hall opens 6:00 to 17:00, and the offering office opens 8:00 to 17:00 from May to October and 8:30 to 16:30 from November to April.
How should you behave at Koyasan?
At Koyasan: Koyasan is the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism and a place of daily practice. Keep your voice low in the halls and at Okunoin. If you stay in a temple lodging, keep to the temple's meal and bath times and ask before you join a morning service. Ask before photographing monks or services.