Mt Koya 1 Day Walking Tour from Osaka

5.0 (2 reviews) 8 hours Private tour

out of 5

2 reviews

5.0

Mt Koya 1 Day Walking Tour from Osaka — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Mt Koya 1 Day Walking Tour from Osaka, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Mount Koya (高野山, Kōyasan) is the center of Shingon Buddhism, an important Buddhist sect which was introduced to Japan in 805 by Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), one of Japan's most significant religious figures. A small, secluded temple town has developed around the sect's headquarters that Kobo Daishi built on Koyasan's wooded mountaintop. It is also the site of Kobo Daishi's mausoleum and the start and endpoint of the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage.

・Visit to Koyasan’s central temple complex with Private English Speaking Guide (Danjo Garan, Konpo Daito Pagoda, Okunoin Temple) 　

・Experience of Shojin Ryori (Japan's Sophisticated Buddhist Cuisine) for Lunch at temple (Shukubo)

・Including transportation's fee (Nankai Train Tickets) between Namba station (Osaka) and Mt. Koya

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At a glance

Duration: 8 hours
Confirmation: Confirmed within 48 hours
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–15
Guide: English
Operated by: H.I.S.Co., Ltd.

Ages: Children (6–11 years) · Adults (12–99 years)

What is included

Included

Included: English speaking guide
Included: Admissions fee
Included: Round trip transportation between Osaka and Mt Koya(Koyasan)

Not included

Not included: Lunch

Itinerary

Namba

4 hours

Nankai train and bus between Namba station and Mt Koya - Round trip.
Stop 2

30 min Admission included

The vermilion Konpon Daito Pagoda, a 45 meter tall, two tiered, tahoto style pagoda. A statue of the Dainichi Nyorai (Cosmic Buddha, also known as Variocana), the central Buddha in Shingon Buddhism, stands in the middle of the pagoda's interior and is surrounded by statues and paintings on pillars, which together make up a rare three dimensional mandala (a metaphysical map of the cosmos). Mandala are usually two dimensional paintings.
Koyasan Okunoin

one hour

Okunoin (奥の院) is the site of the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi (also known as Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism and one of the most revered persons in the religious history of Japan. Instead of having died, Kobo Daishi is believed to rest in eternal meditation as he awaits Miroku Nyorai (Maihreya), the Buddha of the Future, and provides relief to those who ask for salvation in the meantime. Okunoin is one of the most sacred places in Japan and a popular pilgrimage spot.

The Ichinohashi Bridge (first bridge) marks the traditional entrance to Okunoin, and visitors should bow to pay respect to Kobo Daishi before crossing it. Across the bridge starts Okunoin's cemetery, the largest in Japan, with over 200,000 tombstones lining the almost two kilometer long approach to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. Wishing to be close to Kobo Daishi in death to receive salvation, many people, including prominent monks and feudal lords, have had their tombstones erected here over the centuries.
Koyasan Danjo Garan

30 min Admission included

Legend has it that Kobo Daishi, the founder of Shingon Buddhism, threw his sankosho (a double ended, three pronged Buddhist ceremonial tool) from China, where he had been studying, toward Japan. Back in Japan, while in search of a place to headquarter his new religion, he came across his sankosho stuck in the branches of a pine tree on Koyasan and started construction of the Garan, Koyasan's central temple complex. The pine tree, that caught the sankosho, is still growing there.

The two most prominent buildings of the Garan are the Kondo Hall and the huge Konpon Daito Pagoda. The Kondo Hall is a large wooden temple hall where major ceremonies are held. The building has burned down multiple times over the centuries, and the current hall dates back to 1932. It enshrines an image of Yakushi Nyorai, the Buddha of medicine and healing.
Mt. Koya

2 hours Admission included

Lunch of Shojin Ryori (Japan's Sophisticated Buddhist Cuisine) at temple (Shukubo).

Meeting point and pickup

The operator picks every participant up from their accommodation or the points below.

Pickup points

Hotel Alexander Namba
Natural Hot Spring Midosuji Hotel
Swissotel Nankai Osaka
OYO 644 Hotel Art Inn Namba
Hotel Asiato
Kuromon Crystal Hotel
Sotetsu Grand Fresa Osaka-Namba
The OneFive Osaka Namba-Kuromon
Hotel Dans Le Coeur Osaka Umeda
Toyoko Inn Osaka Nippombashi Bunraku Gekijo Mae
Red Roof Inn & Suites Osaka Namba Nippombashi
Cinnamon Hotel

and 353 more pickup points

Our guide will meet the customer at the hotel (where the customer stays).

Cancellation

All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.

If you cancel	You get back
Less than a day before	0%

The operator may cancel if the weather does not allow it; you then get another date or your money back.

Good to know

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
In the event of a natural disaster, such as a typhoon, the tour will be canceled, and a full refund will be issued. "