Hotel terbaik di Kōya

Good temple lodging. We got what we came for: austere room with sleeping mats, excellent buddhist opulent meals, beautiful temple building, good ryokan, great location. There is no hot water in the room or washing area, but that is ok. The room had a toilet, normal Japanese electric bidet type.

The temple is beautiful, and the room is super nice and spacious. There is also a beautiful garden. I was expecting some additional amenities and/or interactions with the monks to have a better experience, but there is nothing related to this. I have the impression there are temples around the area that are much better on this regards and this could contribute a lot to the overall experience. If you want to have dinner and/or breakfast please make reservation at least one day before check-in and make sure this is accepted by the property, otherwise you won’t be able to have dinner/breakfast if you request this during check-in. The morning ceremony was ok, but there is no minimum explanation at the beginning or end (at least in English) which could have been nice. Also, the room is extremely cold, so make sure you bring enough clothes to it. The onsen is a nice addition but nothing spectacular. Overall, it is ok but it could be improved a lot. There are some lessons you can take part of, but I joined the cemetery tour organized by another temple, so I don’t know if they were good. I have the impression that in Eko-in temple they were giving the guests more services as meditation sessions and this tour and additional explanations in English. Curfew is at 9 pm.

When planning my trip to Japan, I went out of my way to go to Ekoin Temple. I were going to Tokyo and Kyoto and I thought this would be a wonderful way to end the vacation and that it would be the highlight of our trip. I thought that it would be a very unique, off the beaten path, ”authentic” experience. Pro(s) - (1) The room was beautiful. No question about it. The room was large, and comfortable. We booked what I believe was the most expensive room because I was not sure what to expect in a ”monastery” and I thought that this would be the safest option. Comment - (1) - We pre-ordered the ”best” meal. There was a lot of food. We just didn't like it. I can't blame Ekoin, it may have been good - but there wasn't much that we liked. For two people, you are served in your room. At first I thought that they just didn't have extra space (after all, this is a monastery not a hotel). I now believe it is because there are a lot of people, and it would ”detract” from the religious/calm atmosphere that you would expect in a monastery. Con(s) - (1) Outrageously expensive for what you get. It doesn't seem that you are invited to witness the daily rituals of the monastery / monks. It is more like 40+ people squeezed around a small area where two monks chant and light a fire. Not to say that it wasn't unusual, but this was more of a ”show”. As it just so happens, I (unexpectedly) saw a fire ritual in Tokyo, in an operating temple. Only a few people, some were there to pray. That was probably the highlight of my trip to Japan. Again, not to say that Ekoin was ”bad”, it was just not worth the money or effort to get there. (2) Night cemetery tour - again, it was fine. Nothing was ”wrong” - but we walked through the cemetery for about an hour. It was OK - but again, not worth the money. In conclusion, this is certainly ok (but not a highlight). Very expensive for what you get. Maybe if you are in Koyasan and hiking or doing something else, this might make more sense. There is only one bus going back and forth to Kyoto/Osaka so timing may be an issue especially if you have a flight to catch. We didn't realize it when we booked this, but the cost was an additional $350 (USD) to take a taxi back to Osaka. Keep the logistics and total cost in mind and then decide if Ekoin will be a good option for you.

除了貴沒有任何缺點，提供體驗活動，兩餐也非常精緻，服務也很貼心，交通也方便，公交下來就到，但是高野山實在是太遙遠了。總之，非常推薦！

非常滿意。很美的高野山，很安靜的朝佛聖地！