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KOYASAN | Okunoin Night Tour [English tour] from Mar 11th, 2025

0
Group tour
from¥5,000
Group tour
from¥5,000
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Please ensure you have read and understood all the information provided before proceeding with your reservation.

Those who have booked the tour are deemed to have agreed to all of the following:

  

【Announcement】

Dates that cannot be selected from the calendar are fully booked.
Please refrain from calling to inquire about availability on the day of the tour. For any inquiries, kindly contact us via email at info@awesome-tours.com

Please avoid using the browser’s automatic translation feature as it may cause issues with the reservation calendar.

Please note that guests staying at Renge-in (蓮花院)cannot participate in the Okunoin Night Tour due to curfews and bathing hours.

Temporary change to the return bus route for the Koyasan Okunoin Night Tour, effective August 26, 2024, due to road construction by Nankai Rinkan Bus Co., Ltd. within Koyasan.

 

 

【Introduction】

After dinner, why not visit Kobo Daishi (Kukai, 774-) in Okunoin cemetery before going to bed at night?

Even if you go to Okunoin in the daytime, you can see fantastic scenery that is different from the daytime.

Official guides residing in Koyasan will lead the tour for you. (Kongobu-ji precincts guide qualified person)

Our guides will talk about:
☆Story of Kobo Daishi
☆Story of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism
☆Tombstone Description
☆The Mysterious Legend of Okunoin
☆Daily life of monks and the history of Koyasan

If we are lucky, we can also see flying squirrels, owls, bats and fireflies.

After listening to our guide’s explanation, we recommend visiting Okunoin on your own during the bright hours of the morning.

 

Click here if you want to know the basic thought of Kobo Daishi and Esoteric Buddhism.

 

 

 

【Meeting/roll call】
Ekoin 19:00
【Tour dissolution】
Gokusho, Okunoin around 20:20

【Departure date】

Almost every day (excluding year-end and New Year holidays and specific days)
*The tours are often held in light rain, but please understand that they may be canceled suddenly due to bad weather.

 

【Advance online payment from the official website】
◎ Adult 5000 yen (12 years old and over)
◎ Child 3500 yen (6 to 11 years old)

This tour is for elementary school students and above (6 years old and above.)

 

【Reservation by phone or email, cash payment on the day】
◯ Adult 6000 yen (12 years old and over)
◯ Child 4000 yen (6-11 years old)

*We will call your reservation name at exactly 19:00. Please pay the guide at that time.

 

 

 

【Our unique guides are…】

☆Guide license holders living in Koyasan
☆Ordained at a temple in Koyasan
☆Experience living in a temple on Mt. Koya for a long period of time
☆Experienced as a guide (our guides guide Okunoin about 100 times a year)
☆Guides are men in their 20s to 40s, dressed in Samue.

【Almost every day for over 13 years 】

This tour is the “Okunoin Night Tour” which has been held almost every night for over 13 years since 2011 by ordained guides living in Koyasan.
Guides other than our group who do not live in Koyasan are conducting a night tour with a similar name, please note that the contents of the explanation and the guides are different. Trademark Registration No. 5756374

◯Please confirm the reservation status of today’s tour from this web page.

【For a safe and comfortable tour】

◯ Lanterns will be lit on the left and right on the way, but there are many places without handrails, so please refrain from participating if you are worried about visibility at night.

◯The minimum walking distance for this tour is about 3km. The road is mostly flat, but there are stairs and small steps. For your safety, please refrain from participating if you have weak legs or are in poor physical condition.

Since it will be a “group tour” that will proceed according to the time of the return bus, we recommend a private tour during the day if you are not confident about following a group tour.

◯ We aim to fully enjoy the beauty and solemnity of the sacred place at night. This is a quiet space shared with other worshipers, so please refrain from talking in a loud voice.

Be sure to check the curfew and bathing time of the accommodation facility before making a reservation.

Please note that guests staying at Renge-in (蓮花院)cannot participate in the tour due to curfews and bathing hours.

 

【Those who want to take pictures at their own pace】

We are doing this “group tour” according to the bus boarding time on the way back, so if you want to take pictures at your own pace, we recommend that you take a walk on your own rather than on a tour. Okunoin is a cemetery where the souls of the dead sleep. Please be considerate of the deceased and worshipers when taking photos.

 

【Strollers and wheelchairs】

Although the path is mostly flat, there are steps and stairs, so it is not recommended for people with strollers or wheelchairs because it will be physically taxing to lift them up many times along the way.

 

 

【In case of rain/bad weather】

◎Those who have made a reservation in advance

“If the tour is canceled” We will contact you by 18:40 to the email address you registered at the time of reservation, and we will refund the full amount online. If there is no contact by either method, the tour will continue. In case of rain or snow, please bring appropriate clothing, shoes and rain gear. We do not rent out umbrellas.

◯Those who have not made a reservation in advance

→Please check this website  and refrain from contacting the temple office of the temple where you are staying to inquire about whether a tour will be held on the day. 

 

【Tour precautions in case of rain】

・It is difficult to hear the voice of the guide when the rain hits the umbrella

・It is difficult to see the front because of other participants’ umbrellas

・Your shoes and clothes may get wet

・ Slippery cobblestones

There is a possibility that you may feel inconvenient compared to the tour in fine weather. Please note that the tour will take place in nature.

 

【clothes, shoes】

The temperature will be about 7 degrees lower than the flat ground, so please be careful of the cold, especially at the turn of the season. Please bring boots in case of rain or snow.

 

【Maximum number of people per group】

In order to maintain the fantastic atmosphere and quality of the tour, the maximum number of people per group is 35 per guide.

* However, if the number of people in one group increases due to a sudden illness of the guide, we will notify you on the official website on the day and contact those who have made advance reservations at the registered e-mail address. We will give you a full refund.

 

【If there is no reservation】

Due to the limited number of people, you may not be able to participate even if you come to the site on the day. Especially on Saturdays and days before holidays from March to November, reservations tend to fill up quickly, so early reservations are recommended.

 

【If you make a reservation from this page, it will be an English tour reservation】

It is not possible to change to a Japanese tour on the day. If there is space on the Japanese tour, you may change your reservation, but there will be no refunds.

こちらのページからご予約頂いた場合は、英語ツアーの予約になります。当日に日本語ツアーへの変更は原則不可ですが空きがあれば変更していただけます、その際返金はございません。

 

Notice for Interpreter Guides】

We kindly request that solo participation of interpreter guides is refrained, and to also refrain from recording any part of the tour. 通訳ガイドの方の単独での英語ツアーへのご参加や録音などはご遠慮いただいております。

 

Guidelines for Simultaneous Interpretation】

To maintain the ambiance and comfort, we kindly request that simultaneous interpretation is not conducted during the tour. This is to prevent any potential disturbance to fellow attendees.

 

【Complimentary Services During Peak Season】

As we approach our peak season, please be advised that complimentary services for accompanying tour guides and tour conductors will not be available. This measure is part of our dedication to ensuring a serene and comfortable tour experience by strictly enforcing our tour group size limits.

 

【About the return bus】

Only for the return trip of the Okunoin Night Tour, we will guide you to the return bus so that you can return to almost all temple lodgings in Koyasan by 21:00.

Details of the return bus route are listed at the bottom of this page.

*If your inn has a curfew at 21:00 and you are staying at an inn that is far from the departure point, Ekoin Temple, you can board the return bus.

*Also, if you are worried about going home alone at night, you can also use the bus.

*We walk 900m from Okunoin Gokusho, the dissolution point, to board the bus. A guide will take you to the bus stop.

*During busy periods, the bus may be crowded and you may have to stand up to board the bus. However, please be assured that the bus ride time will be about 10 minutes at the longest.

*No bus fare is required.

*If you are staying at an inn on the west side of the “Senjuinbashi” bus stop, you will need to walk 5 to 10 minutes after getting off the bus, so we do not recommend participating if you do not want to feel rushed.

 

【What is the way to the meeting place? 】

Please walk or use the route bus to the tour meeting place (Ekoin).

*Please refer to the Nankai Rinkan Bus website for public bus timetables.

*Taxis are not available as the store closes at 17:00.

 

【Meeting place Ekoin, no parking】

The parking lot at Ekoin Temple, the meeting place, is for hotel guests only, and tour guests cannot park. Please park your car at the free parking lot in Koyasan and come to the meeting place on foot or by bus.

 

 

 

【Cancellation policy for phone/email/web reservations】

If canceled due to customer’s convenience, the following cancellation fee will be charged.

In case of cancellation on the day of the tour 100% of the tour fee

80% of the tour fee if canceled 1-2 days before the tour

30% of the tour fee if canceled 3 days to 7 days before the tour

No cancellation fee will be charged if canceled 8 days before the tour date

* However, if the tour cannot be held due to bad weather such as warnings, we will refund 100% without cancellation fee.

 

 

 

【Contact】

info@awesome-tours.com

Ekoin Temple is the starting point for tours, but Ekoin is not a reception for reservations of the night tour. For inquiries, please contact the above. Please refrain from contacting the temple office of other temple lodgings, as it will interfere with business.

Itinerary

ScheduleOkunoin night tour

Starting point: EKOIN
Meeting time : 19:00
Departing time : 19:00 – 19:15

Finishing point: Okunoin Gokusho
Finishing time: 20:20
Participants will be dropped off at most Koyasan bus stops by 20:50.