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PICK UP  |   Kyoto | Mt. Koya

Koyasan Retreat, a World Heritage Site accessible by helicopter
A model course set in the Koyasan Retreat

Okunoin rain.jpeg

Koyasan Overview

 

Since Mt. Koya was awarded three stars in the 2009 Michelin Green Guide and registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has been visited by many Westerners, including those from France.
Furthermore, the US magazine ``National Geographic''Koyasan is the only place in Japan chosen as one of the 20 must-visit places in the world. It is said that ``Time passes in a mysterious and completely different way than in the floating world.''

Mount Koya, which was founded by Kobo Daishi Kukai, was a city in the sky that was closed to women until the Meiji period, and is surrounded by mountains over 1,000 meters high.It is also a sacred place that flourished as a Buddhist training center.

Koyasan 1000m peaks.jpeg

[Tour overview] 

  1. Koyasan, the World Heritage City in the Sky, a sacred place for Japanese Buddhism, and a tour of the world of Kobo Daishi “Kukai”

  2. Zazen experience! Enter the world of Esoteric Buddhism meditation “Aukan”

  3. Okunoin Night Tour: Walk through the pitch-black night streets and visit the ancestral shrine of Kobo Daishi Kukai

  4. [20 must-visit places around the world] Japan’s only Mt. Koya retreat

  5. Goma prayers before the ultimate important match at the World Heritage City in the Sky!

  6. Meditation at a sacred site of Japanese Buddhism - Detox your mind and body with Buddhist vegetarian cuisine

  7. Bullet detox by helicopter to the World Heritage Sky City of Mt. Koya

[tour points]

・ Landing in the sky city with a panoramic view from Kyoto in a blink of an eye

・Detox your mind and body by staying at a lodging that is most popular among foreigners
・Ayukan experience, esoteric Buddhism zazen, purifying the essence of the heart
・Okunoin Night Tour: Walk through the quiet forest at night and enter a mysterious world
・Goma memorial service experience: Fulfill your wishes in front of the blazing flames
・"Shojin Ryori" made only with vegetables and grains (vegan)

Kongobuji Temple hanging lantern (gold).jpeg

[ToursSchedule】

[First day]
14:00 Depart from Kyoto JPD heliport
14:40 Report arrival at Mt. Koya
               Kongobuji Temple, Daimon, Danjogaran, Konpon Daito
  Explanation of the history and culture of Mt. Koya by the Treasure Museum director

16:00 Check in at Ekoin Temple
     Ajikan experience (meditation)
     Dinner Vegetarian cuisine
    Koyasan Night Tour

 

[the 2nd day]
07:00 Gongyo
07:30 Goma memorial service
08:00 Breakfast
09:00 Report to Mt. Koya
10:00 Kyoto JPD Heliport

[Tour details]

Arrive at the heliport with a panoramic view of Mt. Koya by helicopter
“Kongobuji Temple, Head Temple of the Koyasan School of Shingon Buddhism (Living Better from History)”
We will be guided by the chief priest of Ekoin Temple (Koyasan Senshu Gakuin Noka), the head temple of the Koyasan School of Shingon Buddhism, and will guide you around the Danjo Garan and Konpon Daito of Kongobuji Temple, the head temple of the Koyasan School of Shingon Buddhism. In addition, at the treasure museum, the curator himself will guide you about the history and culture of Mt. Koya.

​ *The aircraft is an image.

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“Shukubo experience (detox your mind and body with the best scenery + pray for your wishes to come true)”
The most popular lodging in Mt. Koya among foreigners. Check in to Ekoin, which is also the semi-special head temple.
Take a leisurely break while drinking coffee, and light the fire during the "Goma prayer" experience the next morning.
Write your wishes on the Goma tree, which will make your wishes come true.
(*Goma prayer is a prayer to deliver your wishes to Fudo.
It is said that your wishes will come true by burning the goma wood. )

 

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“Ajikan” (meditation)
Experience ``Ajikan,'' a form of zazen unique to Mt. Koya. (Esoteric Buddhism Meditation) Purify the essence of your heart and purify your faith like a transparent crystal or a pure full moon.

 

"Vegetarian food"
Delight in the famous sesame tofu and vegetarian cuisine made with seasonal vegetables (vegan food)

 

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"Okunoin Night Tour"
This tour is so popular that it is difficult to make reservations for participants from Europe and America. A professional guide will show you around Okunoin.

As you walk down a quiet forest road at night, relying on a small light, you can see the faint glow of a candle in the distance.

This is the light of the toro-do hall built by Fujiwara no Michinaga. After washing your hands with the cool sound of the stream, cross the bridge and enter the temple.

Tens of thousands of lanterns are swaying in the deep darkness.
If you go further back, you will find the ancestral shrine of Kobo Daishi ``Kukai''. This moment is a moment of true devotion and purity, where the mind is led to a state of nothingness, breathing in pure air, and feeling relieved.It will surely be an unforgettable sight.

 

Okunoin Night Tour (Monk).jpg

"Gogyo and Goma memorial service"
The next morning, I woke up refreshed, attended a esoteric Buddhism practice, and entered Bishamondo Temple for a Goma memorial service.

I lit the gomagi that I wrote about yesterday, and felt the heat of the large flame rising in front of me.

As the flames dance with the powerful sound of the drums, a feeling I have never felt before wells up in my heart.

Please close your eyes and pray for your wishes to come true.


Check out after breakfast and go to heliport

Goma memorial fan flame.jpg
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