{"id":2692,"date":"2025-04-05T13:53:07","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T13:53:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/notanordinarytour.it\/japan-in-14-days\/day-11-the-sacred-mount-koya\/"},"modified":"2026-01-25T12:18:48","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T12:18:48","slug":"day-11-the-sacred-mount-koya","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/notanordinarytour.it\/en\/japan-in-14-days\/day-11-the-sacred-mount-koya\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 11: The sacred Mount Koya"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Day 11<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The sacred Mount Koya<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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koyasan<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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If we were to make a list of must-see experiences in Japan, in first place we would undoubtedly put a visit to the sacred Mount Koya.
It is an experience that leaves a deep mark, something to take with you and cherish forever.<\/strong><\/p>

Mount Koya – in Japanese, Koyasan – is located on a plateau surrounded by mountains and dense forests: a mystical place that represents one of the most important and ancient Buddhist centers in the country.<\/strong><\/p>

It houses more than fifty temples that offer visitors the opportunity to stay overnight and participate in some spiritual practices together with monks<\/strong>, such as meditation and copying sutras, the sacred texts of Buddhism.<\/p>

To get there, from Nankai Namba Station (only 7 minutes from the hotel) we take a train on the Nankai Limited Express line, also known as the Koya Line, to Gokurakubashi Station.<\/p>

From there, we board a funicular and continue by bus (line 22) to the Karukayado-mae stop.<\/p>

Finally, we walk a short distance to the Eko-in temple<\/a>, where we will stay overnight.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For lunch, just across the street from the temple, we discover a small family-run restaurant. Serving us is an elderly gentleman reminiscent of the main character in Up<\/em>… but in a thinner version. He greets us with a kind smile and prepares the house specialty: noodles topped with a really delicious miso sauce. <\/p>

In the afternoon we participate in one of the activities offered free of charge by the temple to its guests: Ajikan meditation.<\/strong> A monk, in a slow, relaxed voice, gives us a few but valuable instructions on how to practice it. Then he turns off the lights and, enveloped in the darkness of the room, we begin to feel the first chills down our spines. <\/p>

Dinner is served at 5:30 p.m., directly in the room. It consists of a multitude of small dishes, similar to the traditional cuisine found in ryokan, with the special feature that here all courses are vegan. <\/p>

A curiosity: the monks follow an entirely vegan diet and fast at lunch, thus consuming only one meal a day.<\/p>

The evening continues with a truly evocative activity: a guided tour of Okunoin Cemetery, the largest in Japan.<\/strong> Leading us is a monk from the temple, who speaks English and along the way imparts many small spiritual teachings with simplicity and depth.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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