Mt. Koya Sacred Sites Half-Day Tour with Licensed Guide

1. Koyasan Okunoin
   1h · Admission ticket not included
   The heart of Mt. Koya. Kobo Daishi (Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism and one of the most revered persons in the religious history of Japan, rests here. Also, many prominent personalities' graves line by the approach to Okunoin for several hundred meters through the forest. Your guide will explain interesting stories about those historical characters.
2. Kongobu-ji Temple
   1h
   The main headquarters for the Shingon Sect, which has 4,000 temples throughout Japan and more than 10 million followers worldwide. Visitors can see religious artifact, fusuma sliding door paintings, as well as a beautiful rock garden representing two dragons flying amongst the clouds.
3. Koyasan Danjo Garan
   30m
   One of the two most sacred sites in Mt. Koya. In the 9th century, Mt. Koya was founded on this very ground. At that time, Kobo Daishi held a groundbreaking ceremony and then dedicated his life to the construction of Danjo Garan. This sacred area consists of nearly twenty different structures including the magnificent Konpon Daito. Your guide will tell you the meaning of these structures.
4. Koyasan Reihokan Museum
   30m
   The Reihokan Museum (霊宝館, Reihōkan) was built to house and preserve the religious and cultural treasures of Koyasan. The museum's entrance hall is styled after Byodoin Temple in Uji, and it has three exhibition halls for both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
   
   The museum's collection consists of thousands of religious works of art. The permanent exhibition displays statues, mandala (paintings representing metaphysical maps of the cosmos), and various other religious tools and paintings, the most notable of which is the scroll depicting the "Reclining Image of Sakyamuni Buddha on His Last Day". Additionally, a rotating temporary exhibition displays a seasonal selection chosen from the museum's collection.
5. Koyasan Daishi Kyokai
   30m
   Daishi Kyokai (大師教会, Daishi Kyōkai) is the administrative center of Shingon Buddhism, and is responsible for spreading the teachings of Kobo Daishi, the sect's founder. The complex consists of two buildings: Henjoden, a traditional temple hall, that was built in 1915 and is dedicated to Kobo Daishi, and a modern building for administration, lectures and training. An English information desk is available in this building.
   
   Visitors can participate in a few activities at Daishi Kyokai, such as receiving Buddhist precepts (jukai) or copying Buddhist scriptures (shakyo). No advance reservations are required.
6. Tokugawa's Mausoleum
   30m · Admission ticket not included
   The Tokugawa Mausoleum (徳川家霊台, Tokugawa-ke Reidai) on Koyasan was built in 1643 by the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu in order for his family to have a mausoleum close to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. It consists of two buildings which enshrine Iemitsu's grandfather Ieyasu and father Hidetada, the first two Tokugawa shogun.
   
   The mausoleum's two identical buildings took twenty years to be completed and were built in the extravagant style of the early Edo Period with graceful sloping roofs, rich ornamentation, intricate carvings, lacquer and gold leaf. The two buildings stand side by side. The one on the right enshrines Ieyasu and the one on the left Hidetada.

Pickup details

This private tour is a walking day tour. A private vehicle is not available for this tour. Public transportation or local taxis maybe used to transfer between sites. Exact transportation costs can be discussed with the guide after a reservation is finalized. Please have Japanese Yen on hand for your transportation costs.

• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• Wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels
• This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot.