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Reviews of Koyasan Sekishoin

2.5 out of 5
Koyasan Sekishoin
571 Koyasan, Ito-gun, Koya, Wakayama

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 58 out of 142 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 56 out of 142 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 16 out of 142 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 9 out of 142 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 142 reviews" "

8.4/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

9.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Damon

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Emily

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great upgraded rooms and magical garden
It was nearly empty so we were upgraded. Usually I think there would be a lot of people. Rooms were excellent and service good. Food was simple but for the price I can’t complain.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020
Response from sekishoin on 21 Mar 2020
hank you for your stay. I wish you a safe journey.

10/10 Excellent

Patricia

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful stay
Was a wonderful stay at Sekisho-in. Room was very clean, spacious and comfortable. Food was very good and we were made to feel very welcome. The temple was a lovely experience and the town of Koyasan is just so beautiful.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020
Response from sekishoin on 14 Mar 2020
Thank you for your stay.

10/10 Excellent

Earl, Toronto, Canada

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Arrived in late Feb. Wonderful experience. Cold but heaters in room worked well.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from sekishoin on 1 Mar 2020
Thank you for your stay. I wish you a safe journey.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The amenities exceeded expectations. The room was larger than expected. We had a four futon room with three futons setup. It would have been a bit tight with four. The room had a living area, a sleeping area, a garden viewing area, and a balcony. We did not opt for the private bathroom. We may have stayed during a slow night (Early Jan) because we still had the shared public bath to ourselves after dinner, and we enjoyed a nice soak. I saw an older review saying there are no hair dryers. They have hair dryers now. The dinner and breakfast was good as well. If you're not used to Japanese vegetarian dishes, you might find the food lacking. It's a lot of radishes, bamboo shoots, seaweed/kelp, tofu, squash, rice, and mochi. Most of it is served cold with unlimited warm rice and hot tea. I thought it was quite good. The morning ceremony was a great experience. The monks will encourage you to do the incense offering. A booklet in your room will explain what to do. Read and research beforehand as it's not explained during the ceremony. Overall, I'm glad we stayed here. It was a good experience. I did not get to interact with the monks. I wish I was able to do this to learn more about Koyasan; however, I understand most of them do not speak English.
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from sekishoin on 6 Jan 2020
Thank you for staying. Please come again.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Interesting experience in a temple! Location is convenient!
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
Response from sekishoin on 4 Dec 2019
Thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice reasonably priced place to stay in Koyasan. Location - perfect -close to okunoin cemetery and temples. Room - sufficient futon setup with a low table with kettle and tea. Heater in room - heats up fast - good because the common areas are outside temperature. Don't run heater all night, but not needed just spark up in the morning and instant heat. Like camping :-) Arrival - checked in at ~12 noon . They were organized and ready for us - excellent. Little english spoken - but not a problem - we got all the info we needed for the temple stay. Amenities - lots of shared bathroom /washup areas. We used the hot bath rooms to clean up/soak/warm up - it was great! (onsen like) There are two mens and two ladies bath/onsen rooms. Very nice. Honour system coffee machine for morning. Food - very creative and tasty vegetarian dinner 5:30 (extra fee booked with room - do it - it's a good experience) Breaky was at ~7:15 -7:30 after morning service - which was also good to do (6:50AM). NOTE . I booked the dinner after the original booking via email - but they had not record of it - or lost in translation. We were able to book dinner as we arrived at 11:45. dinner bookings taken until 12 noon of same day. Best to book at hotel booking time. FYI - We left right after breakfast to catch a 8:11 AM bus right outside the temple to get back to Tokyo that same day. Easy (but multiple) transit back to Osaka then Tokyo
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from sekishoin on 2 Dec 2019
Vielen Dank für Ihren Aufenthalt.

10/10 Excellent

Christopher

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful Experience
Amazing atmospheric place to stay. This is not just a place to stay but a wonderful experience.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019
Response from sekishoin on 23 Nov 2019
Thank you for staying

8/10 Good

Rushil

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from sekishoin on 23 Nov 2019
Thank you for staying

6/10 Okay

L

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Temple stay experience wasn't really immersive since there were many other tourists so the experience didn't feel personalised. Wished that the service was warmer. The food for both dinner and breakfast were mediocre. Dishes that are supposed to be hot/warm (e.g. tempura) were already cold by the time guests arrived at the dining hall (there are preset dining hours). I stayed in the new hall which is a long walk in but the facilities are new and WiFi was surprisingly strong. Heater in room! Best thing to have since Koyasan can get really cold. No hairdryer provided.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from sekishoin on 21 Nov 2019
Thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

A-, San Francisco

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
I enjoyed it very much. Air conditioner was broken, but I just moved the futon to the room with a heater. Garden is beautiful. Dinner was good. Breakfast was simple. Bathroom attached to the room was so new and clean. Great alone bath time. I came in a bit late, but they had my dinner still waiting for me. I'm glad I stayed here.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from sekishoin on 16 Nov 2019
Thank you for your stay.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from sekishoin on 14 Nov 2019
Thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great monastery food. Appreciated opportunity to be part of morning ceremony. Very good onsen. Location very good - near cemetery & a short distance from centre of town.
Stayed 3 nights in Nov 2019
Response from sekishoin on 11 Nov 2019
Thank you for staying.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2019
Response from shiju on 24 Oct 2019
Thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Koyasan was amazing, the stay was ok
The good: - good location on main road and close to the main attraction - included breakfast was ok - room had a nice balcony and view The bad: - the welcome was very cold, we didn't feel like they were very happy that we were staying there - little English spoken by staff
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from shiju on 16 Oct 2019
Sorry to make you feel uncomfortable. Educate and improve staff. Thank you for staying.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from shiju on 15 Oct 2019
Thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very fast check in and out. Comfortable
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
Response from shiju on 13 Oct 2019
Thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from shiju on 19 Sept 2019
Thank you for staying.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This was a real experience, definitely worth the trip.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from shiju on 19 Sept 2019
Thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from shiju on 6 Sept 2019
Thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

Ovidiu, Nagoya

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Interactive meal service and prayer.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from shiju on 1 Aug 2019
Thank you for staying

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This is a monastery run by monks not a hotel. They gave us two huge adjacent rooms, which was much appreciated. The location is great as it is a few minutes by foot from the cemetery, which made it easy to go to both the evening walk and the 6:00 am offering ritual and be back by the 7:00 am chanting at the monastery. We enjoyed our stay very much - the simpler monastic setting and the relative remoteness of Koyasan was a welcome deviation from the hurried and over stimulating experience of Tokyo and the other big cities we visited
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from shiju on 24 Jul 2019
Thank you for staying.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great experience, try it!
Great stay, everything I expected and more. Tremendous experience, recommend to all
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from shiju on 11 Jul 2019
Thank you for staying.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Staff & service
The outside of the property looked impressive and it ws nice to take part in the mediation in the morning
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019
Response from shiju on 21 Jun 2019
Thank you for staying.

10/10 Excellent

T-Meaux, Houston

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Having the chance to stay as guest with Buddhist monks and priests in their temple is priceless. The accommodation is way beyond what I would have expected. The friendly hosts made a private memorial ceremony possible. It was an amazing experience and I will return. Thank you very much!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2019
Response from shiju on 8 Jun 2019
Thank you for the accommodation. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice and cosy temple stay
The room is excellent big, clean and in an authentic japanese style. I had view to the japanese garden, and I could hear the beautiful songs of the birds.Loved the morning meditation.
Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from shiju on 26 May 2019
Thank you for staying.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Koyasan
Very surprised having such a large room with balcony and mountain garden view. Futon beds on Tatami are thick and comfortable. Half board vegetarian food was plenty and free coffee supplied too. The location is just a few steps away from Ichi No bashi bus stop (the beginning of 2 km Forrest walk to Okunoin 奧の院) Monks and staffs are friendly and helpful.
Stayed 1 night in May 2019
Response from shiju on 20 May 2019
There is no facility service like a hotel inn, but thank you for staying.

8/10 Good

Keith, California

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Beautiful old temple that we enjoyed staying in very much.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from shiju on 26 Apr 2019
Thank you for using it

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Loved living in a temple, the food was really good. They explained what each of the items on the plate were prior to the guests starting to eat. It is not a buffet style, you get a preset vegan meal and that’s what you eat. The showers are open and not separated. I really wish we had some information on the morning ceremony they did, even in the form of a pamphlet to inform us of the what and why it is being done. Even a small history lesson prior to the ceremony or at dinner would be great addition!
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2019
Response from shiju on 26 Apr 2019
Thank you for using it

10/10 Excellent

Hugo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2019
Response from shiju on 2 Apr 2019
Thank you for using it.

10/10 Excellent

Kel, Vancouver, Canada

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very unique experience. Highly recommended. The accmodaruons are very basic compared to western standards but the atmosphere is wonderful and participating in the morning prayer was the highlight of our trip to Japan. The location is also excellent as it is very close to the Okuinoin.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from shiju on 31 Mar 2019
Thank you for using it.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This is a Buddhist Temple so pretty much everything is unique. We had a room with a private bath. The room was huge. The meal provided by the monks was pretty in appearance and very delicious. The atmosphere of the temple is very serene. Would recommend for rejuvenation and to reconnect spiritually.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from shiju on 31 Mar 2019
Thank you for using it.

10/10 Excellent

Talia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Would stay again
Lovely temple stay w excellent vegetarian monk meals and can participate in religious service before breakfast. Lots of guests here but you only run into them at meals and ceremony. V convenient location can walk to all sites and bus stop is just a few feet away. not as elaborate or picturesque as some other temples, but it gave us everything we needed and wanted
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from shiju on 29 Mar 2019
Thank you for using it.

10/10 Excellent

MICHAEL

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great location, Very Good WIFI, Claen & comfortabl
The Monks were kind. Clean & comfrtable room with a view of the garden. Great location within walking distance to shrines, temples and Japan's largest cemetery, restaurants. At bus stop 9 on bus 9 from the cable car station.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from shiju on 29 Mar 2019
Thank you for using it.

10/10 Excellent

Katherine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
This was by far the highlight of my trip! I had a wonderful experience here. Everyone was very accommodating. It was so special to see the monks prayer service in the morning. The one thing I would note is that this is a true monastery. So if you book this know that the accommodations are basic, as described on the website, the reason you go here is for the experience. I would definitely recommend!!
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from shiju on 26 Mar 2019
Thank you for staying. We would like to stay with someone who understands us. I wish you the safety of your journey from KOYASAN.

10/10 Excellent

Frederick

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great time
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2019
Response from shiju on 26 Mar 2019
We look forward to your next visit.

8/10 Good

Toni

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2019
Response from shiju on 22 Feb 2019
ご利用ありがとうございました。

8/10 Good

Graeme

Liked: Staff & service
Great experience of temple life
From looking around town this was one of the smaller temples to stay in and perhaps didn't have the amenities some others may have. As you would expect from a Buddhist templet the accommodation was very basic but the reason you are staying there is for the experience. The monks were very friendly and helpful in showing me around, the morning service was enlightening and the breakfast prepared was surprisingly tasty for vegan fare. If you prefer to travel in style and comfort than maybe this place is not for you but if you are up for a real experience then I definitely recommend.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Response from shiju on 7 Dec 2018
Thank you very much. We are waiting for use of another.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
First time staying at a temple
This is the first time staying at a temple and I had a good experience here. This was the only place that had a private bathroom so that was great. When we checked in we were welcomed by a monk who gave us a free bracelet gift and escorted us to our room.The room didn't have a door instead it was a wooden frame with square holes which I found uncomfortable at first, but you can lock it and also lock our room door. We had our own balcony which was nice and leading out into their garden. We slept on futon and was glad they had a heater as it very cold there, it was icy cold in the morning so make sure you bring jackets.They provide some comfortable robes like ones the monks wear and you can wear it to the morning prayer (6.50am) and breakfast is served after which is vegetarian. I really enjoyed my first experience staying at a temple and Koyasan is amazing place to visit.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2018
Response from shiju on 14 Nov 2018
Thank you very much. We sincerely look forward to your continued use.

2/10 Terrible

Olivier, Paris

Disliked: Staff & service
Just Feels like a bad touristic attraction with monks cold as ice and noisy foreigners taking picture all over the place. I booked the private suite for 2 person. 200 Euro for a room without windows, what a great deal! I guess for this price shared room are a better option as I could hear other guest talking and snoring the whole night.. Also made me smile to see female employees among the monks. Even if they are limited to the kitchen! At the end, it was not that bad as we spent as less time as possible in this hotel and really appreciated walking around the temples by day and night.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from shiju on 4 Nov 2018
I would like to obey what I was pointed out frankly and improve it. Thank you for your opinion.

8/10 Good

Tara

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Unique stay in a temple
It was a very nice authentic experience in a temple. Getting to sit with the monks during their morning prayer ceremony is very nice. The temple is also in a great location in Koyasan.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2018
Response from shiju on 22 Oct 2018
Thank you very much. We are looking forward to your continued use.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great experience!
Amazing experience. Very sacred place where you get to see a morning prayer, have traditional breakfast and dinner (purchase separately) and the grounds are beautiful, the garden specifically. Highly recommend for a temple experience!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from shiju on 26 Oct 2018
ご利用有り難うございました。 またのご利用を心からお待ち申し上げます。

8/10 Good

Henck

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Serene and unique
Very comfortable futon, beautiful views.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from shiju on 26 Oct 2018
ホテル、旅館みたいな設備、おもてなしは出来ませんが、どうぞ移りゆく季節をお楽しみくださいませ。

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from shiju on 7 Oct 2018
Thank you for using. We look forward to your continued use.

8/10 Good

Tim, Melbourne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We thoroughly enjoyed our (family of 2 parents and a 9 year old child) stay. Koyasan is not cheap, but it is worth it.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018
Response from shiju on 3 Oct 2018
Thank you very much for using it. We sincerely look forward to seeing you again.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice service and a peaceful place
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018
Response from shiju on 19 Sept 2018
また心を癒しに来ていただければ幸いです。 ご利用有り難うございました。 貴方の健康とご多幸を心からお祈り申し上げます。

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
We stayed at Jokiin the night after and it was exceptional. it was the same price as Sekishoin. It is not worth the price for the room with the private bathroom which we had.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2018
Response from shiju on 30 Aug 2018
某お寺に比べられますと、期待にそえなく申し訳御座いません。 改善と向上に努めてまいります。 ご意見有り難うございました。 貴方の旅の無事をお祈り申し上げます。

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
20metres from the bus stop, spacious tatami roo with futon bed, beautiful in summer because it's cooler 1000m up in the mountains, Buddhist style vegetarian breakfast was good to get you going, but a morning tea stop is recommended.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018
Response from shiju on 30 Jul 2018
ご参拝いただき誠に有り難うございました。 安全な旅のご無事高野山からお祈り申し上げます。 またのご参拝を心からお待ち申し上げます。

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Traditional Temple Stay
Enjoyed the opportunity to try a traditonal buddhist monk dinner/breakfast. Very close to the cemetery, which is a must see in Koyasan. Unfortunately the beds/pillows were terribly uncomfortable and linen appeared to have not been cleaned in a long time finding stains and hairs...
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2018
Response from shiju on 2 Aug 2018
am very sorry that cleaning of the room was not completed. We strongly instruct the person in charge and we will make improvements as soon as possible. We are sorry for the inconvenience

10/10 Excellent

Henry

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort