A Day at Mount Koya, in a Fairy Tale

Mount Koya is undoubtedly one of the most famous cemeteries in Japan, one of the most magical forests, and one of the most fervent places. Mount Koya is primarily a story of a stroll among the ancient cedars and gravestones that seem to tell the tale of this enchanted forest. In short, Mount Koya is a walk straight out of a fairy tale!

Mount Koya is the story of a meeting that has been postponed again and again. Not a single glance during our first trip to Japan. Just brushed by on our second visit. And finally, the third time was the charm!

Mount Koya is a sacred mountain in the Wakayama region and a Buddhist pilgrimage site. In Koya, there are almost as many temples as there are inhabitants (almost half of whom are monks!): the ideal place for a spiritual retreat and to experience sleeping in a temple.

If the locations are magical, the adventure truly begins on the journey to Okuno-in in Ryujin Park! Trains come one after another, giving way to one of the prettiest (and steepest!) funiculars we've ever seen. Red and white, like a life-sized toy, it takes visitors to the top, where they only need to catch a bus to the edge of the forest.

The walk among the ancient cedars, accompanied by the gentle rustling of the wind in the branches, transports us out of time. The humid and comforting smell of the forest fills my lungs as my eyes drink in the greenery: moss covers everything. Trees, graves, gravestones, and signs. From the very first meters, this soft covering gives the place an air of an enchanted forest.

As I expected fairies, sprites, or elves to appear, the only winged creatures that manifested were... mosquitoes! Undeterred, we enjoyed every step among these giant cedars, pines, and cypress trees. Discreetly, hidden among their roots, small stone statues dressed in fabric and bright red hats kept watch over the area.

Before coming to Mount Koya, I had admired photographs capturing the magical and mysterious aura of the site. Divine light filtering through the branches. Mist appearing to guard the forest's secrets. I was eager to discover these scenes! But the sky had other plans: filled with heavy white clouds, it offered us neither a divine ray of sunshine nor mystical mist...

And despite everything, it was magical!

At the end of this walk through a Miyazaki animated tale, lies Koya's most important temple: the mausoleum dedicated to the worship of the founder of the Shingon Buddhist sect, Kûkai, also known as Kôbô Daishi. Numerous legends surround this 8th-century Japanese Buddhist, some whispering that he is still alive, meditating in the heart of the cemetery.

Words alone cannot express the beauty of the places: let's focus on the photos taken by François during our walk in this fairy tale at the Okuno-in cemetery in Ryujin Park.

With the first hints of crimson leaves appearing, we promised to return in autumn to enjoy the spectacle of momijigari, as the Japanese say.

And we will sleep at least one night on-site, in a temple. We didn't do it this trip, as we were accompanied by my in-laws, and sleeping on futons laid on the ground is not easy for them. Staying overnight will allow us to enjoy the ambiance of Koya, to adjust to the play of light and weather whims, but also to visit more of the many temples in this UNESCO World Heritage site.

And perhaps we will also take the opportunity to get lost on the pilgrimage paths, Chôishi-Michi, and several of its walks. We enjoyed walking between different temples of Mount Koya, but there is still so much left to explore...

Typically, travelers come from Osaka. But since we like to do things differently, we left from Nara. Regardless of your starting point, be aware that the end of this journey is not covered by the JR Pass.

You have three options to get there. First, the easiest: pay for tickets outside the JR Pass (combined train/cable car/bus tickets are available). Second, the most economical: extend the travel time a little by using JR lines as far as possible, from Wakayama city to Hashimoto, or from Nara or Oji to Hashimoto. Third, you can go by rental car.

Here are the two most classic train routes: from Osaka and from Nara.

Here's the journey we took in one day from Nara. It was a very long day, with ultimately much more travel time than time spent there. If we were to do it again, we would spend a night there to ease the trips and enjoy the places more.

From Nara, take a JR train to Oji to catch the JR Wakayama line to Hashimoto.

From Hashimoto, you can take a Nankai train to Gokurakubashi (terminus), from where the funicular departs.

Combined train and funicular tickets are available. If you arrive without a funicular ticket, the ticket agent will charge you the difference for the combined ticket. The funicular journey to Koya-san is very steep and lasts 5 minutes, with frequent departures, as there are two funiculars crossing on the line.

From Shin-Osaka, head to Osaka-Namba (or Shin Imamiya) and take the train to Gokurakubashi (terminus): 1 hour and 20 minutes on an express train (5 trains per day) and 1 hour and 40 minutes with a transfer at Hashimoto (2 to 3 trains per hour).

Then catch the funicular at Gokurakubashi station to Koya-san, a journey that only takes 5 minutes with two funiculars crossing on the line. After that, all you have to do is take the bus!

Two paths lead to the mausoleum of Kukai. We took the one that begins at bus stop No. 11 Ichinohashi -guchi (about 15 minutes by bus), near the Ichino-Hashi bridge, and returned via the bus line terminus, stop No. 14 Okunoin-mae.

I really recommend taking the first trail, which stretches over 2 kilometers: not only is the stroll very easy (it's flat and consistently straight), but this is where the true mystical and magical heart of the place resides. This path allows you to immerse yourself in the special atmosphere of Okuno-in, the largest cemetery in the country.

Once you arrive at the Gobyo -bashi bridge, you enter the most sacred space of Koya. The utmost respect is requested: through your attitude (worshippers bow their heads and join their hands), silence must be observed; no drinking, eating, or smoking, and no photographs.

There are over 100 active temples in Koya: it's impossible to tour them all in just a few days! If you were to see only a few, I recommend visiting the main temple of Koya, the Kongobuji, and the Danjo-Garan. This complex contains numerous temples, including the Kondo, the main pavilion, and a round pagoda, the Konpon Daitô.

As I mentioned earlier, we haven't experienced it yet, but it's on our list for a future trip! Many temples, once only open to pilgrims, now welcome travelers for a meal or a night. While some lament the commercialization of the sacred, many share their experiences with the feeling of having touched Japanese ancestral traditions. Staying with the monks is a discovery of customs and ways of life in the temples, whether through morning prayers or the strictly vegetarian cuisine.

To say that I adored Mount Koya would be an understatement! It's primarily the ambiance of this forest that has wrapped me in its sweetness and enchantment. Just for that, Koya is worth it! But Mount Koya is much more than that. With its many temples, it fully deserves its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The only question that remains is this: it took us three trips to finally arrive at Koya... how many will it take to return?

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