Your journey to Mount Koya

Mount Koya is located in Wakayama Prefecture, south of Osaka. It is the center to the Shingon Buddhism, introduced to Japan in the 9th century by the monk Kukai.

Originally a monastery built away from Kyoto, Mount Koya is now a city of more than 100 temples and universities dedicated to religious studies, but also an important meditation place for a lot of pilgrims from all over the world.

Furthermore, it is the starting and ending point of the 88 temples of Shikoku’s pilgrimage.

The easiest way to get to Gokurakubashi is to take the private line Nankai from Osaka.  You can take this line from the Namba or Shin-Imamiya stations, to the terminus Gokurakubashi. Only the travellers with Kansai Thru Pass ride this Nankai lines for free. There is a Koyasan World Heritage Ticket which allows you to travel from Namba to Koyasan over 2 days for 3400 yen.

0 KM - NAMBA station

10 KM - SHIN IMAMIYA STATIONShin-Imamiya Station is accessible by the Osaka Loop Line, which is part of the Japan Rail Pass. There are 5 limited express trains per day that will take you directly to Gokurakubashi for a 1 650 yen fare. It is also possible to take an express or rapid train (departure every 20-30 minutes, 870 yen) that will take you to Hashimoto in less than two hours, from there you will have to take a local train to reach your destination.

72 KM - GOKURABASHI STATIONThe train station that serves as a gateway to Mount Koya is the Gokurakubashi station on the Nankai line. From this station, the Koyasan (Mount Koya) cable car will take you to the Koyasan stop for 390 yen for a 5-minute journey. Once off the cable car, you will need to take a bus for 10 minutes (290 yen) to Senjuinbashi, the city center where the tourist information office is located.

In Koyasan itself, it is easy to get around on foot, however 3 bus lines serving the main temples and tourist attractions are also available

If you own a Japan Rail Pass you can travel for free on the JR lines. Indeed, reaching Mount Koya with a Japan Rail Pass is possible even if it will take you slightly longer (between 2h and 2h30).

If you are coming from Wakayama, you can reach Hashimoto (before transferring to the Nankai line) by the JR Wakayama line. Please note that there are only local trains on the Wakayama line. You can reach Wakayama from Osaka by taking the limited express JR train called Kuroshio from the Shin-Osaka station (which is your arrival station if you arrive in Osaka by Shinkansen).

Another option from Osaka is to take the Yamatoji line towards Nara, and to change at Oji station for the Wakajama line in order to reach Hashimoto. You can also change for the Nankai line to reach Gokurakubashi.