Travel plan for first timers in Mount Koya

Head for Daimon, Koya-san’s main gate and explore the bright crimson and impressive gate. Daimon boasts Japan’s 2nd-largest statues of guardian gods installed at either side of the gate.

Danjo Garan is one of the central places on Koya-san for Esoteric Buddhist thought. At Konpon Daito pagoda which symbolically soars into the sky, you can view the world of the mandala from richly colored Buddhist pictures and murals.

In the Reihokan which has been called “The Hall of Religious Art”, you can get in contact with examples of Buddhist art. It boasts an enormous collection including 21 National Treasures and valuable Buddhist pictures and statues from Koya-san.

Kongobu-ji Temple is the main headquarters on Koya-san. You can freely enjoy the beauty of Japanese architecture such as the fusuma (sliding screens) art adorning the spacious rooms and the largest rock garden in Japan.

Okuno-in is the most sacred place on Mt. Koya. To reach the shrine, go over Ichinohashi Bridge and follow the sando path. You can explore the famous Toro-do Hall for its “unextinguishable flame” and the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi where the founder of the religion fell into deep meditation to the point of death.