Sekishoin - Koya

We spent 2 nights at Sekishoin and had a wonderful time. The temple cuisine was delicious, especially the dinner. The local sesame tofu was incredibly good. We chose a room with a private bathroom, which was a bit old-fashioned but comfortable and had a beautiful view of the Japanese garden. The Onsen was also fantastic. The temple itself is stunning, and the monks were very hospitable. The morning prayer fire ritual was a fantastic experience. The location is excellent, just a short walk from the cemetery. Unfortunately, the WiFi was not working properly and I wish the smoking room wasn't located at the temple entrance.

Staying for one night at this temple in Koyasan is highly recommended. The food is completely vegan, the staff speaks English, and they are very kind and welcoming. We appreciated the complimentary rental bikes and the proximity to the famous Okuno-in cemetery, just a few minutes' walk away. The morning prayer session was a unique experience, and the spacious rooms with garden views and private bathrooms were very comfortable. Despite the cold weather in March, the futon, hot bath, and heater made the room cozy at night. Overall, our stay here was unforgettable. (Updated from previous review on 2022-06-16)

Staying overnight at this temple in Koyasan is highly recommended. Not only is the food completely vegan, but the staff also speaks English and is very friendly and welcoming. We enjoyed using the free bikes provided and the famous Okuno-in Cemetery is just a short walk away. The morning prayer session was a unique experience, and the rooms were spacious with views of the garden and a private bathroom. Despite the cold weather outside, the futon, hot bath, and heating made the room very cozy at night. Overall, our stay here was unforgettable.

I highly recommend staying at this temple in Koyasan for at least one night. Not only is the vegan food delicious, but the staff is also friendly and welcoming, and they speak English. We really enjoyed using the free rental bikes and visiting the famous Okuno-in Cemetery, which is just a short walk away. The morning prayer session was a unique and memorable experience, and the rooms were spacious with a garden view and private bathroom. Despite the cold weather in March, the futon, hot bath, and heating made the room very cozy at night. Our stay here was truly unforgettable.

While I don't want to come off too negatively, I must say that we did enjoy our overnight temple stay. It was a pleasant experience that I would recommend, mainly because of the location and the morning prayer ceremony. The location was excellent. However, the stay was exactly as I expected in terms of comfort (not so comfortable beds), food (not very exciting, but satisfactory), and language (there was one staff member who spoke English, but communication with the monks/staff was difficult otherwise). The reason for my slight disappointment was because of the two very positive reviews on HappyCow, especially regarding the food. Personally, I don't consider cold boiled vegetables to be delicious. The food was decent but not outstanding. We were not informed about the availability of bicycles, as mentioned in another review, and unless I missed something, the onsen mentioned by another reviewer was actually just the bathtub in the bathroom (if you had a room with a private bathroom). On the bright side, the WiFi worked well for me (not so much for my partner) and I didn't even notice the smoking room until we were leaving.