Quote:
Originally Posted by samurai007
The great thing about Koyasan is actually staying overnight at a temple, eating the food the priests eat, etc. Here is the list of temples that provide lodging (there are over 100 temples at Koyasan!)
Shukub ,
Temple Stays - Koya-San - Lonely Planet Hotels & Hostels
Now, it's possible all of these are booked as well, in which case, you can stay somewhere off the mountain. Hashimoto (the city I used to live in) is a decent-sized city at the foot of the mountain, and you may be able to find some lodging there. Or you could go all the way back to Osaka, or to Wakayama City. If you do that, you'll effectively turn Koyasan into a day trip, and not be there for the ringing of the bells and celebrations at midnight, though. There might be buses or taxis still running after midnight because of all the people there celebrating, though I don't know for sure...
I don't know of a separate bus pass, but all JR buses are included in the rail pass. You probably shouldn't need to travel by bus very much with the itinerary I laid out... only between Matsumoto and Takayama because there's no train through the alps, and any city buses you may need to get to wherever you're staying or sights you are seeing. |
Bad News: All the accommodations are booked in Koyasan. There are two options as it stands right now:
1) I can go up but basically stay up the entire night and catch the EARLIEST train back to Osaka in the morning. That means no sleeping for me--unless I can sleep in the forest
2) Koyasan becomes just a day trip. I wonder whether there are other temples around Osaka that have a celebration comparable to this one in Koyasan. Does anyone know any info that might be of help?
Ughh...I'm pretty disappointed...