Stayed for one night in the Ekoin Temple in Koya San and its one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. So often in Japan, you can read about magical places in guidebooks, only to turn up to find Pachinko parlours and Neon. Koya San is the real deal though! An unspoilt little village high in the mountains in Wakayama. I never saw a single Family Mart or 7 Eleven, probably the only place left in Japan that they havent reached, just stunning temples, beautiful quite streets and nice friendly poeple.
This was a first for me staying in a Temple and I am glad I have done it but probably wouldnt rush back to another one, just purely down to the cost and the temperature. When we arrived in Koya San the weather turned from cold to freezing. The snow done wonders for our pictures but it was far too cold to do that too often. Hats off to the Monks staying there who go through that every winter. Our room was beautiful and spacious but our lovely garden view had to be hidden away behind the doors as the monks said the room would take ages to warn up if we didnt close the screens. At night we ate our dinner in our jackets and I literally ran from the sink to my futon that night.
That doesnt mean I didnt enjoy my stay though. At night one of the Monks took us to the Okunoin graveyard for a tour and it made the trip. He explained everything about this incredible place with great detail and enthusiasm. Also the two ceramonies in the morning are worth climbing out of your futon for at 7am sharp.
All in all a great experience, but be warned, its freezing in the winter and this is definately not a hotel. Dont expect a shower in the morning or a snack whenever you feel like it. You are there guest, not there customer.

Very nice temple, nice monks are welcoming you, a bit expensive though but worth it for 1 night. The room was very huge with nice view to the garden. But we didn't enjoy it, it was so cold in the beginning of November. Don't forget to bring warm clothes! The meals are fantastic (but they are in each temple I think). Bathrooms for each gender is very nice, hot and relaxing. Free internet in the lobby. You get dinner and breakfast in your own room. Morning ceremony was very interesting, there are two of them, the morning prayers and the fire ceremony - the last is very impressive! The monks catch you for the ceremonies in the morning but be awake before and prepared for it (we had communication troubles and thought they would come for wake up). Then they guide you to the main temple (upstairs) and after that to the fire ceremony (in front of the main entrance).
3 years ago I stayed at Shojoshinin which is also very good (but I prefered Ekoin especially for the fire ceremony). I enjoyed that Japanese pilgrims have been at Ekoin for staying and praying (not only western tourists as at Shojoshinin when I was there).

We booked a busy 14 day itinerary in Osaka-Koyasan-Kyoto-Nara-Hiroshima-Tokyo and our stay at Ekoin in Koyasan was the absolute highlight of our trip!

We read about Ekoin in the Lonely Planet guide, and it came highly recommended by a professional tourist guide we know in Japan. Luckily, he helped us make a booking there for 2 nights and it was well worth it!

We were served hot tea with a little azuki bean cake upon arrival and settled in to our private, deluxe room! Our room was the only one that came with a locked, western style door which led to a separate private toilet, wash basin, and shower.

Our room was quite large, with a nice 2-seater lounge area on a small 'patio' (literally small enough to fit 2 chairs and a small table) which led to a private little garden and small koi pond in a large pottery vase. The room was slightly shared as one of the 4 walls was a sliding door connecting to another room - it wasn't made of washi (paper), but a standard sliding door with zero transparency. Definitely *not* sound proof whatsoever as we had guests right next ot us. Bring ear plugs if you are a light sleeper as I could hear our neighbor snoring!

From what I understand, no one else had a private bath/shower/toilet and 'lounge' area with entrance to a garden on the grounds - so we felt very lucky. When we walked around the grounds, many rooms were 100% washi-screen doors on all 4 sides, so we were quite happy to have a room with so much privacy!

The monks were gracious and attentive. We joined them for the 6:30am voluntary prayer services and fire ceremony which follows thereafter. It was a peaceful, relaxing way to start each morning that we stayed with them. They allowed us to take pictures, too, so we could capture a few of the moments.

We had beautiful vegetarian meals served to us at 7:30am for breakfast and 5:30pm for dinner. They were absolutely amazing and FILLING! Although it was vegetarian, we had an assortment of veges, fish, shrimp, soups, and delicious locally made goma-tofu (sesame seed tofu).

Of course, everything was served to us Japanese style. The monks brought in all of our food, fully prepared. Everything was fresh, hot/warm, right out of the kitchen! Each morning, our breakfast awaited us in our rooms once we returned from prayers. After we were done with our meals, the monks requested that we call them - and they arrived in less than 5 minutes to clear away our dishes/trays. At night, they immediately laid out our futons and blankets in traditional Japanese fashion. If your back is not used to a firm floor - please beware. My back did ache from the first night, but I doubled up blankets and slept on top of it the next night for a bit more comfort!

Koyasan itself is such a relaxing, peaceful city with a good 2-day site-seeing offering if you want to take it easy. Otherwise, if you are up for the 6+ hour heritage listed treks, you can easily spend 3-4+ days in Koyasan. Ekoin is within a walking distance of all of the major sites, and the monks also offer an evening guided walk of the Okunoin cemetary once a week (which is literally 10 mins walk away). They can also arrange day tours for you for an additional cost.

To note, the train ride from Kyoto to Koyasan, then the cable car ride up the mountain to get to Koyasan itself was peaceful and fantastic in itself! Please consider a 2 day trip outside of Kyoto if you are in the area. It was unforgettable and such a beautiful, pristine place! We loved the fresh air, tall pine trees, and getting out of the hustle-n-bustle of the noisy cities.

The entire trip, siteseeing and stay at Ekoin was excellent form the beautiful, spacious tatami rooms to the delicious meals, as you can see in our photos. Please take a look! I am more than happy to answer any questions you have about Ekoin and Koyasan.

*Note* - I put that there was no restaurant or room service as its not Western style. Breakfast and dinner is included in the cost of your stay and only served during specific times. If you wish to have lunch or have a snack, you must venture outside. Theres a lovely cafe across the road serving Japanese/Western foods, as well as yakimochi treats. Just a 8-10 minute walk West and you are in the center of Koyasan where there are several more restaurants and shops.

*Another Note for Families with Children: would encourage families with young children to try and request the entire private room and adjoining side room if they have young kids. You can hear a pin drop at day & night, hence, rowdy kids may not make a few other guests happy who are looking for peace and quiet. We only saw 1 child during our stay in Koya-san (luckily, not staying near us as I honestly wouldn't be a happy camper if a restless kid was hopping about), but its worth mentioning for those parents who wish to bring their kids along.

We picked this due to its good reviews, and were not disappointed. The room was gorgeous, with a nice outlook to the hills. Shared bathroom very clean. The monks were friendly and helpful, and spoke very good English. It was very expensive, but no more so than other temples stays in the area. I wasn't much of a fan of the food (a bit adventurous for my tastes), but was an interesting experience none the less! The location is great for exploring the famed Buddhist graveyard - one of the main attractions of Koyasan.