Koyasan Full-Day Private Tour

I had already spent 2 days in Koyasan as part of a small group tour. So the challenge for Naka, my guide who had worked at a Temple, was to dive deeper into Koyasan and its myriad temples and celebrated cemetery. Thankfully he delivered. Our tour of Garan was exponentially enhanced since it was done on May 14 - celebrating Kobo Daishi. The special celebration by the Monks was most interesting and exciting to observe - Garan was truly alive that morning. Then we headed to Okunoin where Naka provided a 2 hr history lesson in the evolution of the cemetery and some of its more notable inhabitants and monuments. We made it to Gobyobashi Bridge just in time to view one of the daily ritual offering ceremonies(a huge highlight), followed by a visit to the lamps at Torodo and the lower level of the Gobyo, the closest physical point to Kobo Daishi. After failing to lift the Miroku Stone, we headed for a traditional Buddhist lunch, then off to Kongobu Ji and the Reihokan Museum to finish our history lesson. At the end of a very full day, Naka also provided me with helpful guidance on how to approach tackling Women's Pilgrimage Trail, my challenge for the next day. Naka's custom tour addressed all of my tour desires, was energetic but not exhausting, and at the end of the day, i was most grateful for what we had accomplished in about 6 hours- an unforgettable experience in a fascinating location in Japan - thanks to a wonderful and most congenial tour guide.

Noriko's tour for our group of 6 was fantastic - we all learned so much more than we would have if we'd only explored Koyasan alone. Noriko went above and beyond to ensure we not only had a great day but she also helped us with some other parts of our trip to Japan.

One of the most sacred and interesting experiences I had! Noriko is such a friendly and wonderful guide and l'm very glad I had the chance to meet her and get inspired by her knowledge and passion about Koyasan and the sacred religions surrounding this lovely place. We walked over all the most sacred spots of Koyasan, Noriko shared her knowledge and let me engage in some of the ceremonies and practice them, we started at Dai-mon gate and started to walk through the city, her respectful way of presenting the Shinto and Buddhism really shines and she is very polite, talkative and generous! I feel like I really soaked some of Koyasan spiritual feeling in the day trip, Noriko also helped me with my accommodation and getting there and spoke to the shukubo manager. If you thinking about visiting Koyasan you should book this experience without doubt! Thank you!