Name: Shuku-bou Saimonin
Address: 447 Koyasan, Koya-cho, Ito-gun, Wakayama, Koya, Koya, Koya, 648-0211, Japan
Rating: 7

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Kansai International Airport

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Shitennoji Temple

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Shuku-bou Saimonin

Koya

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Maximum rating for a place that doesn’t even have a warm bathroom (on top of this... shared)? A place where I have really struggled to eat something for dinner (since I was not much liking it)? Am I crazy? No, I’m not. I rate the great experience, the spirituality, the care and the kindness. I don’t know whether the other monastery of the area are better or worse and, honestly, I don’t care, because, in its imperfection, this place was just perfect for us.

Wonderful experience 

Saimonin was the perfect place for us in Koyasan. The temple is beautiful, with a gate, entrance and garden. Our room was simple, but beautiful and clean with a view of the garden. Just to set expectations, you sleep on two mini-mattresses on the floor, which admittedly are not the most comfortable in the world but part of the experience of staying in a temple.

Dinner came at 6:00pm and was a feast. I've heard that people were left hungry at other temples, but this wasn't a problem at all. We struggled to finish our meals.

Peaceful place, lovely hosts

We enjoyed this one night stay with excellent and typical food and a very peaceful prayer the following morning.
We had a typical Japanese evening meal.
This is central to visiting the many places Koyasan has on offer

very peaceful place

The temple itself is nice and simple. The food was lovely, and copious, especially as I am vegetarian (so I loved the shojin-ryori). The accommodation was a basic, which wouldn't have been a problem except for the damp smell throughout. It felt muggy all the time in the room. It was totally bearable, but given that it's the same price for staying there as more foreigner-friendly ones, I was expecting parity.
Curfew is 9pm - beware in case you do the nighttime cemetery walk run by Enoin. Baths are only open 5-9pm. DInner is served between 5.30-7pm, in your room. There is a morning prayer, which we were told was at 6am. When we got there at 6am, there was noone there. So we went back to our rooms and tried again at 6.30am - noone there. So we tried again at 7pm and lo and behold. This was very frustrating as we could've had another hour in bed! Prayers were understandably in Japanese; there was an explanation after but sadly that was all in Japanese. Mr Hiro, the host, is friendly and helpful and speaks decent English. I wouldn't stay here again, not for the amount they charge.

Lovely temple, good food, average stay

Staying at Saimonin was a good experience although there are a few things that it would have been helpful to know beforehand:

- One doesn't necessarily see the monks or gain insight into their life. One person checked us in and showed us to our room, in which our food was already set out waiting for us, and we saw a monk the next morning conducting a prayer ceremony - that was it. I assume the monks live and practice in a separate part of the temple. 

- I had been told by other people that you could participate in a meditation sitting with the monks, but in fact, the only activity going on is a prayer ceremony that takes place at 7am by one monk, which is something to observe, rather than being participatory, and it is all in Japanese.

- Be aware that Saimonin has a 9 pm curfew, and the doors to the temple do not open until approx 7:30 am the next morning. (I think this is stricter than other temples in the area) We wanted to see the cemetery in the misty dawn light, before all the tourists arrived, but couldn't leave the temple until the sun was already fully up and the cemetery was active by then. 

- The communal bathing facilities are only available to use between 5-9 pm on an evening, although there are communal washbasins and toilets available.

- Other than the morning prayer ceremony, there are no communal activities, such as tours of the cemetery or classes, as there are in other temples. Even meals are eaten alone in your room, and often delivered by someone when you are out so you hardly see anyone at all during your stay.

- Saimonin felt like a simple, more austere place. I had the impression that the people who worked there, whilst polite, did not necessarily enjoy dealing with the guests, and seemed a bit irritated. Don't expect to be treated like a hotel guest. 

Having said all that, it was a nice experience - the vegetarian food was truly delicious! - the room was spacious and comfortable - the location of the temple is great and only a 10 min walk from the famous cemetery (which is amazing!).

Simple, austere, but nice experience

We had a lovely temple stay at Saimonin.  We spent two nights, giving us a full day to explore Koyasan’s many impressive and moving temples and historical sites.  Mr. Hiro, who greeted us on our arrival, is an excellent and congenial host: cheerful and welcoming.  He speaks some English, having spent time years ago, before becoming a monk, backpacking around Australia, Canada, and the US.  There are rules to follow, in accordance with the lifestyle of the temple and the customs of the monks (dinner at 6:00; baths* from 5:00-9:00 pm; breakfast at 7:30 am), but if you’ve got a do-as-the-Romans-do spirit, you’ll be fine.  (Optional, but recommended: sitting for morning prayers at 7:00 am.)  Everything is clean, spare, and comfortable, in traditional Japanese style.  And the meals are delicious!!  (A special treat for vegetarians/vegans traveling in a fish-based culture.)  We loved our peaceful time at Saimonin and were sad to leave.

*Worth knowing in advance: baths are communal and traditionally gendered.  Robes (yakata), short towels, toothbrush/paste, bath soap, and shampoo are provided.  Soap up while perched on small stools and rinse completely with hand-held shower-heads *before* enjoying the heated bath.

Wonderful home base for Koyasan visit

My sister and I had a lovely experience staying in this temple at Koya-san. We had a private room with a shared bathroom and both the room and the bathrooms were clean. We also chose the breakfast and dinner option, and the food was wonderful - it consisted of the types of vegetarian food that monks typically eat, and it was tasty. Additionally, we were able to attend the morning prayer session, which was really cool. In terms of location, it was very convenient, being right next to a bus stop. Even without the bus though, the temple was at most a five minute walk away from the town center. The man who worked there was very helpful and friendly, and spoke decent English. One thing to note though is that given that it was temple lodgings, it wasn't quite a traditional hotel experience, which for example means that it was sometimes difficult to find available staff when not in the specified check in times. Despite this, it was incredibly peaceful, the monks made us feel very welcome, and we very much enjoyed our stay.

Great temple lodging in Koya-san

During our short two week tour of Japan, we stayed in a couple of older style traditional lodgings. This one is situated within the grounds of a temple, so you are greeted and looked after by the monks who live, practise and work here. The rooms are old style Japanese , with tatami mats and sliding doors. The corridor floors are wooden as you might expect, which adds to the atmosphere but also makes this a cooler, perhaps cold at times, place to stay. There are heaters in the rooms but if you use them, please be careful of CO2 emissions and leave a window ajar to allow some ventilation and I would advise not leaving the heater on all night. The bedding is prepared by the monks and is very warm, so there's no need to worry there.

The food is also prepared on site and brought to you by the monks. It's vegetarian of course and very delicious.
You can use the communal baths or book a smaller private onsen-style bath by prior arrangement, which we did.

There is also an option to get up early and listen to the monks chanting, which is a great experience and which enables you to understand the centuries of tradition that you are being allowed to enjoy.

A tranquil step back in time with great food and peaceful vibes.

It was beautiful, modest, and affordable.  We had a large room with traditional tatami mats and a little garden view.  The space heater kept us super toasty and we were so grateful for the phenomenal women's hot bath after our cold & rainy trek around the town. We appreciated the slippers & yukata that were provided during our stay.  The shared bathroom for our floor easily accommodated the guests. Both the dinner & the breakfast topped our 3-week trip as the best food we ate.  I wished we could have stayed another night!  The experience was well worth it and was the highlight of our trip through Japan.

Absolutely INCREDIBLE!

Stayed for one night as part of an organised tour. Unique experience. Accommodation was basic with a futon on the floor and shared showers. Meals were vegetarian but with many different flavours. If you want something off the beaten track, try this for an experience.

Shuku-bou Saimonin

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