Mt. Koya Sacred 4hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide | 4 hours

12 Reviews | Wakayama Prefecture
From $102.49 per person Lowest Price Guarantee
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You can select up to 10 travelers in total.
Adult (12-99) Minimum: 1, Maximum: 10
2
Child (6-11) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 10
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Infant (0-5) Minimum: 0, Maximum: 10
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Free Cancellation For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Mt. Koya Sacred 4hr Private Tour with Government Licensed Guide
2 Adults x $194.73
$389.46
Approx Total
$389.46

Inclusions / Exclusions

  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: Japanese, English
  • Meet up with guide on foot at Koyasan Station
  • Licensed Local English Speaking Guide
  • Customizable Tour of your choice of 2-3 sites from 'What to expect' list
  • Transportation fees, Entrance fees, Lunch, and Other personal expenses
  • Private transportation
  • You cannot combine multiple tour groups.
  • Guide Entry fees are only covered for sights listed under What to Expect.

Overview

Our government-licensed and experienced multilingual guides will help you efficiently enjoy a one-day tour of UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site, Mt. Koya. Go on a full-day guided walking tour of Mt. Koya and learn about the modern and traditional aspects of one of the world’s most sacred mountains! If you would like to take some time out to enjoy some sights outside the big city, then this tour of Mount Koya is for you! Meet your guide at Koyasan station, your private guide will customize your full-day tour in detail according to your interests. Note*1: Please select your must-see spots from a list in the tour information to create your customized itinerary. Note*2: National Government Licensed Guide Interpreter certification is issued by the Japanese government requires a good knowledge and understanding of Japanese culture and history.

Meeting points

KĹŤyasan Station
Koyasan, Koya, Ito District, Wakayama 648-0211, Japan

Open in Google Maps

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

  • Koyasan Okunoin

    Important Notice : The access to the Okunoin Torodo (Lantern Hall) will be suspended due to the restoration work from November 18th 2024 to End of August 2025. The heart of Mt. Koya. Kobo Daishi (Kukai), the founder of Shingon Buddhism and one of the most revered persons in the religious history of Japan, rests here. Also, many prominent personalities' graves line by the approach to Okunoin for several hundred meters through the forest. Your guide will explain interesting stories about those historical characters.

    1 hour

  • Kongobu-ji Temple

    The main headquarters for the Shingon Sect, which has 4,000 temples throughout Japan and more than 10 million followers worldwide. Visitors can see religious artifact, fusuma sliding door paintings, as well as a beautiful rock garden representing two dragons flying amongst the clouds.

    1 hour

  • Koyasan Danjo Garan

    One of the two most sacred sites in Mt. Koya. In the 9th century, Mt. Koya was founded on this very ground. At that time, Kobo Daishi held a groundbreaking ceremony and then dedicated his life to the construction of Danjo Garan. This sacred area consists of nearly twenty different structures including the magnificent Konpon Daito. Your guide will tell you the meaning of these structures.

    30 minutes

  • Koyasan Reihokan Museum

    The Reihokan Museum (霊宝館, Reihōkan) was built to house and preserve the religious and cultural treasures of Koyasan. The museum's entrance hall is styled after Byodoin Temple in Uji, and it has three exhibition halls for both permanent and temporary exhibitions. The museum's collection consists of thousands of religious works of art. The permanent exhibition displays statues, mandala (paintings representing metaphysical maps of the cosmos), and various other religious tools and paintings, the most notable of which is the scroll depicting the "Reclining Image of Sakyamuni Buddha on His Last Day". Additionally, a rotating temporary exhibition displays a seasonal selection chosen from the museum's collection.

    30 minutes

  • Koyasan Daishi Kyokai

    Daishi Kyokai (大師教会, Daishi Kyōkai) is the administrative center of Shingon Buddhism, and is responsible for spreading the teachings of Kobo Daishi, the sect's founder. The complex consists of two buildings: Henjoden, a traditional temple hall, that was built in 1915 and is dedicated to Kobo Daishi, and a modern building for administration, lectures and training. An English information desk is available in this building. Visitors can participate in a few activities at Daishi Kyokai, such as receiving Buddhist precepts (jukai) or copying Buddhist scriptures (shakyo). No advance reservations are required.

    30 minutes

  • Tokugawa's Mausoleum

    The Tokugawa Mausoleum (徳川家霊台, Tokugawa-ke Reidai) on Koyasan was built in 1643 by the third Tokugawa shogun Iemitsu in order for his family to have a mausoleum close to Kobo Daishi's mausoleum. It consists of two buildings which enshrine Iemitsu's grandfather Ieyasu and father Hidetada, the first two Tokugawa shogun. The mausoleum's two identical buildings took twenty years to be completed and were built in the extravagant style of the early Edo Period with graceful sloping roofs, rich ornamentation, intricate carvings, lacquer and gold leaf. The two buildings stand side by side. The one on the right enshrines Ieyasu and the one on the left Hidetada.

    30 minutes

Sample Menu

Additional Info

  • Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
  • Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
  • Not recommended for pregnant travelers
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
  • Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • This is a walking tour. Pick up is on foot.

Free Cancellation

June 12100% refund
June 13No refund

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

  • For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
  • If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
  • Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
  • Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
  • This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews

4.5

12 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews
  • 5 stars
    9
  • 4 stars
    2
  • 3 stars
    0
  • 2 stars
    0
  • 1 star
    1

Reviews by TravelOne travelers

Showing 1-5 of 9 reviews with 5 stars

Extraordinary Koyasan

Published on May, 2025

What a meaningful and beautiful day time we spent in Koyasan. Miyuki took care of us even before the trip started, giving us helpful information about the weather, travel and what type of tickets to get, and she carefully guided us till the very end. As soon as we met on the train going up, she started to explain about the historical significance of Koyasan and its surroundings. Her thoughtful and well-curated trip was peaceful, meaningful and gave us the wish to come back and spend more time here.

Wonderful time with a local.

Published on Mar, 2025

Our guide, Hira, was a super nice man. We got to see so many beautiful places that we would otherwise have missed on our own. He got to the meeting location early and waited patiently for our arrival. He also arranged to make sure my husband was able to have a gluten-free lunch. He never rushed us along and waited for us to enjoy the site and to take many pictures. Although we had some communication barriers but we managed to understand each other. We loved Koyasan and had a wonderful time. We also really enjoyed meeting a local from the Wakayama prefecture.

Lovely visit to Koyasan

Published on Feb, 2025

We really enjoyed our time with Yuki. She answered all of our questions in English and was a lovely companion for the day.

Koyasan tour

Published on Feb, 2025

Me and my mates learnt a lot about the history and culture of Koyasan. We saw the Okunoin, Kongobuji and Danjo Garan Complex with our tour guide. Mr Naka san did a superb job with the guide and was very organised

Unforgettable tour of Koyasan with Hira San

Published on Jan, 2025

It's taken me some time to submit this review, but I would be remiss if I did not return to TripAdvisor to write it. My daughter attends a boarding school in Japan. She, my sister and I visited Koyasan and stayed at the beautiful Fudoin monastery in October 2024. Our soft-spoken tour guide, Hira San, was just about the sweetest human being on the planet. He made our time at Koyasan absolutely unforgettable. The sights were stunning, and the beauty of the temples ethereal. But most importantly, Hira San's overwhelmingly thoughtful, kind, patient and caring demeanor embodied the spiritual nature of the surroundings. Even before we arrived, he communicated with us by email to ensure he clearly and thoroughly understood our needs. He then meticulously planned every moment of our trip to ensure we experienced this UNESCO World Heritage treasure in the best possible manner. Every detail of our time with him stands out, and not just because of the brilliant tour itself. He went above and beyond every step of the way, treating us like his own family; from providing his own umbrella to keep us dry while he got drenched in the rain, to running down a mountainside with my daughter to find her a restroom in a remote area, to scouting the perfect lunch restaurant with vegan options for me, to coming inside the train station at the end of the tour and waiting there to ensure we were taken care of until the moment we left. He even insisted on giving me his beautiful hand-held fan, which I had complimented earlier, as a memento. I have no words to describe how grateful and happy we were to have had the good fortune to meet such a warm, generous, inspiring human being. Hira San, if you're reading this, it was our great honor to spend time with and learn from you. And we all look forward to returning to Koyasan again someday to hopefully see more of it with you. Arigato Gozaimashta.

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