Souji-in Temple

For the price, this was a really average stay. The staff were average, as well as the food. The staff were friendly but they didn’t feel genuine. The Temple itself is very beautiful. The rooms are large, however the floor mattresses are completely worn out so you can actually feel the hard floor beneath you. I’ve stayed in a Ryokan before and their mattresses were still soft and comfortable so this Temples mattresses are definitely in need of an upgrade. Would I come here again? Probably not.

Staying at this Buddhist temple hotel really is a special experience. Located right at the heart of Mount Koya, Souji-in provides guests with a privileged insight into the lives of the monks who reside and work here. Entirely authentic and traditional, you will be welcomed in to experience the monks’ prayer ceremonies in the temple, as well as enjoy the exquisite vegan meals served by the monks. Rooms are Japanese style, offering guests complete immersion into this beautiful culture and the country’s everyday way of life. Ensure you admire the stunning gardens and take time to relax on the sun terrace too. For a truly unique and rare experience, Souji-in is not one to miss.

Not worth the money or the hype. Neither transcendental, life-changing and not even relaxing. +1 star Food was simple, traditional and quite tasty, it’s presentation was stunning. +1 star The overall ambience and clean, nice onsen (but with 0 privacy, in case you needed it) That’s it for the positives. To me, this place is a tourist trap, disguised as an „experience”. For this price, you’d think it includes some sort of „storytelling”, which would give you at least a basic idea of monks lives, but it’s only staff dressed up as monks, serving a bunch of awkward europeans. You can wake up for a morning ceremony, if you want to see the chanting, but that’s about it. Mattresses are hard, and groat-filled pillows are basically like concrete. Loud AC. Dinner is at 5:30 pm, breakfast at 7:30 am, both with similar food. Curfew is at 9 pm - that means a closed gate and no lights. Koyasan itself is quite beautiful, especially the cemetery. Not ready for this amount of tourists though, since all food was sold-out by 3pm, and even the restaurant owners were storming the nearby convinience stores. And there was hardly any crowd…

Not worth the insane price. The food is good, the service is nice, but the rooms and bathrooms are a joke. Be prepared for a bathroom with no curtains or privacy, sleeping on a hard floor, and a 9pm curfew. I recommend arriving in the morning, visiting the cemeteries, and heading back to the city.

Our stay at here was truly special. The accommodations were simple yet very comfortable, and the staff went out of their way to be kind and helpful. It’s also conveniently just a short walk from the bus stop, which made getting there really easy. If you’re unsure about the onsen experience, don’t be—it was actually really relaxing and added a nice touch to the stay. The meals were all vegetarian and beautifully presented. The chef and staff explained each dish to us, which made it so much more interesting. And trust me, the food was both delicious and surprisingly filling! One of the best parts was the morning ceremony—it felt so spiritual and peaceful. Afterwards, we had a great discussion that was translated into English, and it left us feeling humbled and enlightened. Overall, it was such a memorable experience, and I can’t recommend it enough if you’re in Koyasan

We stayed for an overnight experience. The food and quality was good, however, we felt the courses were a bit rushed with No real monk interaction. They had a paper on table to explain what dish it was, but that is it. To me, should be more explanations... perhaps have monks sit down, explain day in like of a monk or let us ask questions... They understand English. For the money, it wasn't worth it as other note.

Great stay! The food was delicious and all vegetarian. It's a very spiritual place while accommodating to tourists. Only negative was our neighbors who were watching TV and chatting until 1am (with a 6am meditation), and could hear them as if they were in our room. Not the temple's fault but resulted in a sleepless night.

The food was lovely and service very caring. We had a lovely peaceful walk around early morning before the tourist buses arrived. We weren’t overly comfortable with the communal shower situation and having nowhere to sit off the floor in our room but we are slightly older so just something to be aware of. The staff were lovely