A working Buddhist temple accepting guests since 1994, where mornings begin with sutra chanting beside the monks and dinner is shojin ryori, a centuries-old vegetarian cuisine, served in your own room.
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Overview
A Temple, Not a Hotel
With roots stretching back to the Heian era and its current form established by a disciple of Koyasan's founding tradition, Soji-in sits just west of Kongobu-ji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism, and has welcomed overnight guests since 1994.
Rooms here are Japanese in style, with tatami floors and futon bedding, and — unusually for Koyasan's temple lodgings — most include a private Western-style toilet, with some offering a full private bathroom and air conditioning, comforts not every shukubo on the mountain provides. Shojin ryori, the elaborate vegetarian cuisine developed by Buddhist monks over centuries, is served directly in your room by a member of the temple, using no meat, fish, onion or garlic yet built from an extraordinary range of textures and flavours. Guests are welcome to join the monks each morning from around 6am for chanted prayers in the temple's main hall, an experience repeat visitors often describe as the reason they returned to Koyasan at all.
Please respect this is a place of worship first. Soji-in remains a functioning Buddhist temple. Meals must typically be requested by 1pm on the day of arrival, and guests are asked to arrive by early evening in keeping with the temple's own schedule.
12th c.
Temple's Historical Roots
1994
Began Accepting Guests
6am
Daily Morning Prayer Service
51
Temples Comprising Koyasan Shukubo
Rooms
Tatami, Futon & a Private Toilet
Rooms are traditional in style, with tatami floors and futon bedding, but pair that simplicity with private Western-style toilets and, in some rooms, air conditioning and a private bath.
Garden-View Room — Tatami & Futon
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Traditional Tatami RoomsSimple, spacious rooms with tatami flooring, futon bedding and views over the temple's own Japanese garden.
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Private Western-Style ToiletsUnlike many Koyasan temple lodgings, all rooms at Soji-in include a private toilet, with some also offering a private bath.
03
Air ConditioningA rarity among Mount Koya's shukubo, several rooms are fitted with air conditioning for warmer months.
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In-Room Dining ServiceShojin ryori dinner and breakfast are brought directly to your room by one of the temple's monks.
Experiences
Sutra Copying, Morning Chants
A stay at Soji-in is built around the temple's own rhythm — meals, prayer and quiet reflection rather than a checklist of sights.
Ritual
Morning Prayer Service
Guests are welcome to join the temple's monks from around 6am for chanted sutras in the main hall, no reservation required.
Practice
Sutra Copying (Shakyo)
A meditative session of hand-copying Buddhist scripture, available at some Koyasan temples including Soji-in, for an additional fee.
Nearby
Kongobu-ji Temple
The head temple of Shingon Buddhism sits just steps from Soji-in, its rock garden among the largest in Japan.
Heritage
Danjo Garan
A complex of pagodas and halls forming the spiritual centre of Koyasan, a short walk from the temple.
Pilgrimage
Okuno-in Cemetery
Japan's largest cemetery, home to over 200,000 memorials along a moss-covered forest path, reachable on foot or by bus.
Reflection
An Evening Walk Through Koyasan
Once shops close and day-trippers depart, Koyasan's streets empty into a genuinely contemplative quiet found nowhere else in Japan.
Dining
Shojin Ryori, Served in Your Room
Dinner and breakfast follow the centuries-old tradition of shojin ryori — vegetarian temple cuisine built without meat, fish, onion or garlic, yet remarkably varied in flavour and texture.
01Shojin ryori dinner, served in your room
02A traditional Japanese breakfast, also served in-room
03Gluten-free options available on request
04Halal meals available with advance notice
Shojin Ryori — Vegetarian Temple Cuisine
Location
The Centre of Koyasan
Soji-in sits just west of Kongobu-ji, the head temple of Shingon Buddhism, in front of the Danjo Garan complex at the heart of Koyasan's UNESCO World Heritage temple town.
Located to the west of Sohonzan Kongobu-ji, directly in front of the Danjo Garan complex.
All destinations in Koyasan village are within easy walking distance, connected also by local bus.
Okuno-in Cemetery, Japan's largest, is roughly a 30-minute walk away.
Kansai International Airport is the nearest major airport, roughly 25 miles from Koyasan.
Fly
Kansai International Airport is roughly 25 miles from Koyasan, connected via train and cable car.
Rail
The Nankai Koya Line and Koyasan Cable Car connect Osaka's Namba Station to Koyasan in around 90 minutes to two hours.
Arrive
A local bus network connects Koyasan's cable car station to the village and Soji-in itself.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Since the Heian Era, Open to Pilgrims
Koyasan's 51 temple lodgings, Soji-in among them, remain one of the few places in Japan where visitors can genuinely live, even briefly, as part of a working monastic community.