Koyasan is one of the places that has surprised us the most since we arrived in Japan. Sleep in a monastery (shukubo) and get up at 6 in the morning to see the prayers of the monks who live there, walk through the cemetery between more than 200,000 graves and soak up this quiet and pure atmosphere of the place is priceless (in It actually has it, and it's not cheap!).
We will try to explain a little better how to get to Koyasan and if the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket is worth it.
How to get to Koyasan from Osaka.
First of all say that the company that manages this route is NANKAI (here the JR PASS will not work for you). In Osaka its trains operate from Namba station, also connected by subway. It is here that you will have to go. The trip from Osaka to the center of the town of Koyasan is made by changing transport several times. The formula would be: train + cable car + bus. We will explain it:
→ Train
From the Namba station in Osaka you will have to take the “Nankai Koya Line” line in which there are two types of trains: the Standard and the Express (more expensive).
- Standard: The price is 870 ¥ and it can be direct or have to change trains at Hashimoto station. They are coordinated so time is not wasted and it is very simple (you will have there a few reviewers giving directions).
- Express: It is direct and more exclusive but you will have to pay a supplement and make a seat reservation. We do not advise.
The destination station is Gokurakubashi.
→ Car cable
From there a Cable Car leaves to the Koyasan station. The price of this is ¥ 390 and is paid on departure.
→ Bus
At the door of the station you can take a bus that takes you to the center of Koyasan. There are different stops (the last one is the “Okunoin” cemetery). Prices depend on your stop and are around ¥ 300. It is not possible to arrive from the station to the town on this road walking (it is prohibited!).
Journey time
The journey takes 1 hour to Hashimoto and another hour to Gokurakubashi. The cable car takes only 5 minutes. Buses from the station to the center of Koyasan make the journey in about 10 minutes.
Total price
Doing it this way the price amounts to about 1.580¥.
How to get to Koyasan from Kyoto.
There is two forms: which we were advised at the JR station in Kyoto and for which we finally opted:
♠ Option A
Go from Kyoto to Shin-imamiya station with a JR train with change at Osaka station (¥ 920 price) and there take the Nankai Koya Line to Gokurakubashi (¥ 870 price). Then the car cable and the bus. Total price: 2.480¥.
♠ Option B
Go to Namba station in Osaka, for which you have to get to Osaka station (¥ 560) and take the subway (the subway station is “Umeda” and it is connected by underground corridors) to Namba station (price ¥ 260), where to catch the Koya Line (price of ¥ 870). Then the car cable and the bus. Total price: ¥ 2,380.
Koyasan World Heritage Ticket
It's a combined ticket (it's actually a ticket for everything)
What includes:
- Train from Osaka Namba to Gokurakubashi and return for the same day or the next day.
- Cable car to Koyasan station and return for the same or next day.
- Buses for a period of two consecutive days in the Koyasan area. While the distances are not large, at least two you will have to take (from and to the station). In addition we took a couple of them as they were included.
- Discount of 20% in some entry. We do not use them because we did not want to enter any payment site. There are also discounts in souvenir shops.
- Map with the Koyasan area and more useful information.
They give you the tickets in an envelope and you use them accordingly.
Prices
There are two types of pass: the Regular and the Limited express, with the only difference of the type of train you can take. The first one costs 2.860¥ and the second 3.400¥.
Where to buy it
Apparently they can be bought both at Namba stations and at Shin-imamiya. We were not sure, we went to the first one and we picked it up there. In addition a reader informs us that in Shin-imamiya you can also buy (thanks Jorge!).
Is it worth buying the Koyasan World Heritage Ticket?
If you do calculations it is easy to conclude that it is worth it. If you buy the tickets separately, the cheapest round trip price amounts to ¥ 3,160, so something is saved. Also, you forget to buy a new ticket every time and you have the buses you want in Koyasan.
In any way, transportation is cheap to get to Koyasan, but it was worth it!
