Mount Koya Private Tours

“A very satisfying and enjoyable day exploring Koyasan's sacred sites”

Hiro skilfully guided us through the physical sites and spiritual history of Koyasan during the fascinating six hours we spent with him there, including temples, shrines, and Okonuin cemetery. We hoped he would deepen our understanding of these important places, and he certainly did. One of Hiro's talents as a guide is an ability to explain complex information in an accessible way, so even those learning from scratch like us could understand. We had many questions, and he was able to give nuanced answers. After two weeks travelling Japan, we now thanks to Hiro understand a great deal more of what we are seeing. He drew the connections for us between the various religious practices, and the historical events in Koyasan and other places we'd visited before we came here. As we were later staying overnight at a temple, this enhanced that as well, providing greater context even after we'd finished the tour. We also enjoyed the local meal he suggested. He is a courteous, intelligent guide, an excellent communicator, and a talented educator. I recommend him to anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of these sacred sites. Thank you, Hiro, for a very satisfying and enjoyable day.

Hiroyuki T.

(150 reviews)

Fiona san, Thank you very much for your kind words. It was very nice meeting you in Koyasan. It was also really nice spending time with a nice couple like you who showed a lot of interests and paid a lot of respect to our culture and religions. Yes, you asked me questions, which I liked very much. Some of them were eye opening even for me. I hope you have a lot of wonderful experience in Japan, and I also hope that our lines cross again sometime in the future. Sincerely, Hiro

Adeline K.

5 / 5

Nov 2, 2024

One Day in Mount Koya. Feel the Sacredness and Holiness

Mount Koya

7 hours

Nov 2, 2024

“Visiting Koyasan During a Rainstorm ”

Hiroyuki has very deep knowledge of Buddhism and history of Koyasan. Aware of an approaching extratropical cyclone he briefed me on the site locations in advance everytime he had an opportunity. When the rainstorm hit we could only do one stop of the Danjo Garan which consisted of a complex of temples. However, I was very satisfied with my tour and visit to Koyasan as I felt that Hiro had done a great job explaining the temple complex clearly and didn't feel I had missed out much.

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Hiroyuki T.

(150 reviews)

It was unfortunate that heavy rain hit that area when we were there. It's rare to have heavy rain in November. I am sorry about it. Next time, let's visit Nachi waterfall together and walk World Heritage Pilgrimage route Kumano Kodo. Take care and enjoy your tour in Japan It just started. Hiro

“Great day on Mount Koya with Hiro-San”

Hiro-San is a former government employee who worked on cultural site preservation. He was born and lives 15 minutes away from Mount Koya and is very knowledgeable about the area and its religious practices (his family has their own temple / shrine). We learned about the religious history of Japan, with its unusual syncretism between Shintoism and Buddhism (plus Hindu deities), about the life and beliefs of Kukai, a monk who imported esoteric Buddhism to Japan (Shingon Buddhism) after having learned its secrets and been ordained in China, and about the interactions and occasional rivalries between political and religious powers in the history of Japan. The visit included several temple compexes—with Buddha statues, gardens and centuries old works of art—as well as the Okuno-In cemetary, the largest in Japan, with monuments for shogun families, warlords, and Kukai himself, and a more modern section for business founders, artists, etc. Hiro-San took us to a local restaurant for lunch (suited for our kids who were starving for non-tofu based food after sleeping one night in a local temple), and very kindly called and booked a van for our return trip to Osaka the next day. Definitely recommend if you plan to visit Mount Koya.

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Hiroyuki T.

(150 reviews)

It was really nice spending time with you and your family in Koyasan. Koyasan is a special place to me. I used to work for the Koyasan UNESCO world heritage project some 20 years ago. It was a difficult job but a meaningful one. It's a great pleasure for me that I can share what I learned from this job with another people as a guide. Take care of yourself and have a safe trip Hiro