Sekishoin

Our stay at this shukubo was nothing short of exceptional! It truly exceeded all our expectations and became one of the most memorable experiences of our entire trip to Japan. After reading some of the previous negative reviews, we honestly find them difficult to understand, as our experience was wonderful from beginning to end! First of all, the staff were incredibly kind, welcoming, and helpful. The lovely lady at reception allowed us to leave our luggage before check-in, and when we checked out, she even prepared a beautiful goshuin for us, a truly special and sacred keepsake of our stay that we will treasure forever. The gentleman who accompanied us to our room was equally kind and patient, taking his time to show us around and explain everything. The room itself was absolutely stunning! It was enormous, beautifully traditional, and had a wonderful view overlooking the inner garden. Such a peaceful and atmospheric setting, perfectly in keeping with the spiritual surroundings of Koyasan. There were also separate Japanese-style communal baths for men and women. We had a look inside, and they seemed very nice, although we didn’t end up using them ourselves. Another highlight was the opportunity to experience shōjin ryōri, the traditional Japanese Buddhist plant-based cuisine, both for dinner and breakfast. It was a fascinating and authentic part of the stay, allowing us to discover an important aspect of Buddhist monastic life. For those who prefer something more familiar in the morning, there was also the option of choosing a more Western-style breakfast for a small additional fee. We also participated in the morning Buddhist prayer service, which included the traditional Goma fire ritual. This was undoubtedly one of the most fascinating and meaningful moments of our stay. There was a small additional charge for the gomagi, wooden prayer tablets offered to the sacred fire, but we felt it was absolutely worth it.

If we had to mention just one minor downside, it would be the number of tourists attending the morning prayer ceremony. There were quite a lot of people, which perhaps took away a little of the intimacy and sacred atmosphere of the experience. However, this is completely understandable given how special and popular Koyasan is, and it certainly didn’t diminish our overall appreciation of the stay.

It was a genuine temple stay experience in a great location

The loggings definetely provide you with a proper temple experience. The morning ritual was nice and the room was very big and 100% Japanese style with a beautiful view towards the Japanese garden.

For a place like Koyasan where a lot of hiking is needed to explore the beautiful scenery, I personally can't say that the loggings were comfortable or warm enough to rest properly. Sadly the onsen closed by 20:30, something we really were looking for after walking in the rain all day.

The location for the night cemetary tour was perfect and also to walk around in the town.

It said that the staff spoke English and the morning service would be explained in English. This wasn‘t the case, it was only explained in Japanese. Since I was very interested in how the buddhist life is, this was very disappointing for me.