We had great expectations for this location but the disappointment was huge. First of all, the monks were not welocoming at all. They barely greeted us and actually they looked more like teenagers dressed like monks to entertain the tourists.The "temple" is actually just a traditional hotel with many guest rooms and a big parking lot. I've been staying in... More

We spent one night at Eko-in. We had to travel for about 5 hours from Tokyo and make too many transfers between trains and cable car to count. But when we got there, we saw that it was all worth it. The directions provided at www.japaneseguesthouses.com really helped and it took us only a bus ride of 15 minutes to... More

My wife and I spent three nights at Ekoin in late March 2012. We had a good time and were very pleased to have gone there. It was a unique experience. But perhaps I can pass on some tips to help you plan ahead for what can be a trying experience. First, if you go around the time we did... More

Mt Koya is beautiful and a temple stay is a truly unique experience. Ekoin provides a basic room and amenities but wonderful food which even meat eaters will enjoy - it is just for one night after all. The bath is great and the futon are comfortable enough for one evening. Remember, it is a temple stay not a hotel... More

We stayed at Ekoin Temple for just one night as part of our 4-week honeymoon. It was bitterly cold but it didn't take away from the magic! Once we arrived a very friendly monk called Nobu checked us in and took us up to our room. The heater went straight on, as did the "kotatsu" (a wooden heated table with... More

We booked Ekoin temple in Koyasan largely on the reviews we read, as we wanted the option of a private bathroom. The visit to Mount Koya (December 2011) totally lived up to our expectations—the whole place is very peaceful and scenic and the Okunoin cemetery, in particular, had a very spiritual atmosphere. The Ekoin temple itself was much as described,... More

We experienced everything as promised about staying in a temple ....eating vegetarian food, participating in the morning ceremony etc etc .. but it would have been nicer if the monks could explain a bit about the back ground, history and about town. They seemed hurried and very robotic. Overall the temple is very pretty and comfortable. It has excellent location... More

Son and I spent one night at Ekoin Temple. Beautiful peaceful area was relaxing. the rooms were very basic with mat floors and futon beds for sleep. room had a fan to drown out other room sounds (the walls are made of paper you know). we are meat eaters so the meals were a little weak ,but passible for us.... More

I have lived in Japan for two years, and had stayed at a temple several times before (for work, actually) ... in others words, I'm used to the whole "temples & shrines" side of Japan, and it takes quite a bit for a place to impress me. Mt. Koya itself is a 5 star experience ... where to begin? The... More