Mt. Koya private walking tour

Highlights

• Mt. Koya
• Reihokan Museum
• Daishi Kyokai
• Tokugawa Mausoleum

All about the trip

Our guides will help you efficiently enjoy a one-day tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Mt. Koya. Go on a full-day guided walking tour of Mt. Koya and learn about the modern and traditional aspects of one of the world’s most sacred mountains!

If you would like to take some time out to enjoy some sights outside the big city, then this tour of Mount Koya is for you! Meet your guide at Koyasan station, your private guide will customize your full-day tour in detail according to your interests.

Note 1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary.

Note 2: Nationally and State Licensed Tour Guide-Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

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.

The main headquarters for the Shingon Sect, which has 4 000 temples throughout Japan and more than 10 million followers worldwide. Visitors can see the religious artifacts, fusuma sliding door paintings, as well as a beautiful rock garden representing two dragons flying amongst the clouds.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What is included in the price

• Free photos
• Hotel pick-up and drop-off
• Licensed local guide

What is not included in the price

• Food and drinks
• Other personal expenses
• Entrance fee (for yourself)
• Private transportation
• Transportation fee (for yourself and your guide)
• Lunch fee (for yourself and your guide)

Instructions

Infant seats available.

Animals or pets allowed.

Public transportation nearby.

Infants must not sit on laps.

Not recommended for people with back problems.

Not recommended for people with heart conditions.

Not recommended for pregnant travelers.

Wheelchair accessible.

This special tour will be conducted with a public transportation and cruising taxi as stated in the tour information, NOT including private vehicle. Your guide will pick you up at the meeting point on foot.

This activity is organised by Japan Guide Agency, Ejirihigashi2 67-3, Shizuoka City, 424-0815, Japan, booking@j-g-a.org.