Mount Koya Private Tours & Local Tour Guides

“Koyasan: Okunoin, Garan & Kongobuji”

We met Nobu at the Ichinohashi gate and walked through the entire Okunoin cemetery lined with stately cedar trees. Nobu pointed out details and meaning of gravestone formations sharing his deep understanding of esoteric Buddhism. When we reached Kobo Daishi’s mausoleum we were in a calm and reverent mindset, able to appreciate the belief that Kobo Daishi was eternally meditating inside and that those resting in the cemetery were waiting for his return to this realm. Next we walked through the more recent gravesites, many representing Japanese companies to Kongobuji temple, where Nobu explained more history and teachings through the beautiful paintings. Finally, we visited the Danjo Garan temple complex. Nobu’s ability to translate complex history into relatable concepts was very moving to us. What would have been a casual stroll through Koyasan became meaningful and lasting because of Nobu. Highly recommended!

Richard Z.

5 / 5

Oct 14, 2025

Koyasan Spiritual Experience Tour

Oct 14, 2025

Mount Koya

7 hours 30 mins

“Accommodating special needs, attention to details and very knowledgeable flexible ”

Miyuki is an excellent guide for us. Due to different family members’ medical conditions, Miyuki was able to adapt to arrange taxi from Wakayama to Koyasen and all the way back to hotel. This makes this trip much easier for us. And this arrangement gives us more time on places in Koyasen. Miyuki also arranged the lunch that accommodated our diet restrictions, due to medical condition, with high level of Japanese cuisine from a local highly regarded chief. Her knowledge of Buddhism and Japanese history helped us understand koyasen much better and appreciate more than before. Her planning with the taxi ride for navigating different attractions in Koyasen made our trip much much easier, without too much walking. This arrangement allows family member to be there and enjoy the experience, history and spirituality, without suffering. I highly recommend Miyuki for your future Koyasen visit. She is very intellectual and attention to the details of customer needs. Those are very valuable characters!

Miyuki O.

(4 reviews)

Thank you for your wonderful comments. I also had a great time with you. I was touched by how much you care for your wife and sister. I was also lucky to meet such a wonderful driver from Sogo Taxi. Our driver, Mr. Yamamoto, knows the back roads to the mausoleum of Kobo Daishi. I'm glad your wife was able to enjoy sightseeing with us. You studied Japanese and have a great knowledge of Japanese history. It was worthwhile for me to explain things to you as a guide.

“Interesting day trip to Mount Koya”

We had a great day with Mr. Hiroyuki, traveling from Osaka to Koyasan and spending the whole day there. We learnt a lot about the concepts of Buddhism and Shintoism, their history and how they developed and partially mixed. He knows a lot about it and explains it very well and understandably, writing down the main facts. Easy to follow. Of course their was plenty of time to ask questions and learn. Thanks for the very interesting day.

Hiroyuki T.

(190 reviews)

Thank you very much for your kind message. It was really nice meeting you and your family, I am glad to know that you liked the tour. Did you go back to the Temple Complex after dark? Did you see a monk ringing the bell there? It is a quiet and beautiful place, isn’t it? You had a right choice. Koyasan is a place for people like you and your family. Hiro