If you go to Koy-san you do need to spend the night, and it matters which temple you stay at. The trip up and back is definitely scenic.

Trip from Osaka to Koya san probably takes a few hours. If you got an early start you could see most everything in a day. Returning just depends on the cable car and train schedule . If you do stay the night try to stay at a temple which does not host groups. The temple we stayed at wasnt geared for treating individual guest well. Their focus was more on getting groups in a groups out. The expense for the night was not worth it. On a positive note ths shop keepers in Koya san were exceptionally nice. Everyone in Japan treated us with courtesay and friendship. A few shop keepers in Koya san went out of their way to help us. The temples and the cemetry had quite a nice feeling.

If you can, go to Koya-san and stay the night in a temple, and do try to see Okuno-in at dusk or dawn or both.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e4901.html

I'm very glad I spent the night in Koya-san. The scenery was spectacular, Okuno-in was magical, the temples included some very special features, and there was a small museum with some exquisite mandalas and other works. I was very pleased with my experience (which was a splurge for me) at Shoshojin-in - you will not get ryokan service at a temple, but I thought the temple lovely; my room was simply but comfortably furnished and looked out over a gorgeous garden and mountains; my dinner and breakfast were both truly delicious and beautifully served; and the monks and opportunity to join their morning prayers made the experience very, very special. You can find out more about it and other temple-stay options at:

http://www.japaneseguesthouses.com/index.htm

When I planned my trip, I considered stopping in Ise because I thought I would like to see the shrines. I decided against doing so after I read that one can't really see them:

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/ise-shimanationalpark/2926010029.html

Hope that helps!

Ise Jingu is one of the very best trips I've ever made in Japan. You cannot enter the final set of fences, so you have to use detective work to figure out what's there: climb the hill, look at the former sites, visit the Atsuta shrine in Nagoya...

The forest and the general atmosphere are really intriguing. There will be Japanese tour groups and solitary pilgrims, but no other westerners. You can take in some other only-in-Japan sights on the same trip, such as Meoto Iwa.

Sorry, I meant Shojoshin-in. Oops!

These are wonderful choices. I wanted to visit both when we were in Osaka this summer. Because we wound up having to choose only one, we went with our Japanese friend's reccomendation to see Koya san. (He thought that Ise would be better visited during a less hot season; this concern doesn't apply to you.)

We went as a daytrip from Osaka which is very doable in a car. Arriving by cablecar and staying overnight would be even better, but I can attest that a daytrip from Osaka is still worthwhile.

I loved it. Please let us know what you decide to do.

Thanks, all, for your responses! I'm leaning toward Koya-san mainly because it's a bit closer to Osaka than Ise, although Ise does sound more uniquely Japanese than Koya-san.

We can only do a day trip, because we just booked a flight out to Hokkaido the next morning. The other option is just to spend an entire day and 2 nights in Osaka -- worth it? Doesn't seem to have much to see. Maybe just spend the nights there, and do a day trip to Koya-san?

Thanks again!


P.S. I did a templestay in a remote mountain temple in Korea (Haein-sa) last year -- it was quite magical in the evening after the crowd had left. And it's only $50 USD per person including nice, clean, heated floor room and dinner and breakfast, chantings, meditation. We had the big room to ourselves that night. The vegetarian food served in the same hall as where monks eat was very delicious. I'd also been to several Unesco world heritage mountain temples in China. Koya-san sounds similar to one of these, but it'd be still interesting to see

Much as I loved my time in Koya-san, I don't know if I would have visited it if I hadn't planned on spending the night. I definitely enjoyed what I saw during the day - especially some of the amazing painted screens and aforementioned mandalas. (But I've seen screens and mandalas in similar styles elsewhere, so while seeing them added to the pleasure I took in my overnight stay, I'm not sure they were sufficiently special to have warranted a long day trip for my tasts.) I'm glad I didn't have to consider just a day trip!

I'm sure you've seen the japan-guide page on Osaka, but if not:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2157.html

If there isn't enough in Osaka itself to entice you to spend the day there (and I admit that I skipped it, not because I thought it without sites of interest, but only because I was much more interested in other destinations), I'm sure you know that another easy day trip from Osaka is Nara. That's another place that I found magical and unique and filled with special places and things. But then, I thought Koya-san sufficiently different from other holy mountains that I've seen - Tai Shan and Wutai Shan - to recommend them without even considering whether you might have seen them. Still, a day trip to Nara would not give you the experience of something that I personally would consider 'spectacularly scenic."

Good luck!

When?

Can't comment on Ise as we didn't got here but we really enjoyed our couple of nights in koyasan. I would strongly recommend an overnight at a temple to get the full experience as I am not sure it would be quite the same as a day trip. It takes a bit of time to get there but it is an interesting journey by tran and funicular. Some photo and more info on our blog:

http://blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/candcthai/1/1208298720/tpod.html

Thanks all for your input. Unfortunately, we only can do a day trip, as we have a morning flight out of Osaka the next day. The question remains whether it's worth the effort. How long would it take to get there since it requires different modes of transportation? Is 2 hours one-way a good estimate?

We'll be there on October 7 (Sun). Basically, our flight from the US gets to Osaka on Oct 6 (Sat) at 4 p.m. See nightlife and eat Osaka that Sat night. Plan is to get out early the next day (Sun) and do a day trip to Koya-san. Back to Osaka late afternoon for more of Osaka. Fly out of Osaka on Mon morning.

If you think it's too hectic to fit in Koya-san, then we can just hang out in Osaka, but then it may seem like a waste of the whole day? Or it will be ok?

Thanks!

You could do a day trip to Kyoto or Nara or just spend the day in Osaka.

Wow, this plan calls for you to fly in from the US on the afternoon of what we will call day 1. Then you will spend several hours of day 2 in transit to and from Koya san. That may be what you want to do, but I do wonder about all those hours of ground transport on day 2.

Have you thoroughly explored Kyoto already? You could get there from Osaka by train in under an hour, leaving much more time for exploration of some of the wonderful temples and shrines there. There is a lot of magic there, much closer to Osaka than Koya san. Nara is only slightly farther away from Osaka than Kyoto and also has some great charm and lovely temples. Kyoto and Nara, as you may know, are very dfferent from Osaka.

If you were able to spend the night at Koya san, I would feel so much better about you putting all that time into ground transport to/from there on days in between flights because the overnight would give you a qualitatively different experience than a botel stay. As it is, you are going to spend lots of time moving around.

This daytrip to Koya san is doable and may be exactly what you want, but if you don't know Kyoto or Nara, you could consider those options closer to Osaka.

Thanks, all, for your advice. We've been to Kyoto and Nara pretty thoroughly before. But there were a few temples outside of Kyoto that we didn't get to at that time. Forgot what they are. If you know which ones they are and worth visiting, please remind me.

Thanks again.

Fushimi Inari Shrine and Tofukugi Temple may be a couple of the sights in southern Kyoto you were thinking about.....maybe Byodoin Temple?

By the questions you are asking and with your answers it sounds like you still very confused on what to do for this day. With nothing planned for a day like this when I have to travel the next day, I would normally take the time to explore what is at my door step and not try to take in too much (ie long day trips to just anywhere). Osaka is the second largest city in Japan and has a ton of things to do and see and they don't call it the "Kitchen of Japan" for nothing. I would concentrate more on what to see and do in Osaka if I had the chance.

Aloha!

Thanks, HT, for that advice! We're now thinking that perhaps it's best to stay put in Osaka instead wasting time on long transport to another place. Posting on Fodor's is like going to therapy--really helps to sort through your thinking and emotions!


BTW, anyone know of any bunraku (puppet theater) performance in Osaka on Oct 6 or 7? The national theater doesn't seem to have any show in Oct. Wonder if we could see it elsewhere?

Thanks, everyone, again for being so helpful!

Yes, there are quite a few temples worth visiting outside of central Kyoto. HT mentioned some located to the south. There are others in the west, in the northwest (Arashiyama), and in the north. For someone who enjoys temples as much as you seem to, there is an embarrassment of riches.

You might skim a good guidebook that organizes the attractions in Kyoto by geographic area to see if anything captures your imagination. If you want to do that and come back here with more focused questions about possible destinations, there will likely be someone among us who has been to areas you identify.

HT makes a good point about the benefits of staying in Osaka for that one day given the constraints of your itinerary. It is indeed a major working city rather than an atmospheric attraction, but you could put together a very fine day. Here is one version:

1 temple
1 shrine
1 castle (plus surrounding park)
1 or 2 great meals

Did you know that Osaka's temple Shitenno-ji (or Tenno-ji) is considered "the oldest temple in Japan"?

Tenman gu is the shrine where students flock to pray for scholastic success. On certain days of the month it is jammed while on other days the foot traffic is more modest. Both scenarios offer advantages.

Osaka-jo (castle)is the city's most famous tourist attraction, of course. I like the 8th floor view out over the city and also parts of the surrounding garden/park.

As mentioned above, Osaka is regarded as the food capital of the country so you would likely enjoy a good meal or two.

The "Day in Osaka" approach introduces you to some solid attractions that afford insights into Japanese history and culture, but none of these sites, in my opinion, rises to the level of "spectacular and unique" (the requirement stated in your first posting). There may be some compensation though in exposing you to one of Japan's major cities -- either the second or third largest, depending upon who's counting.

One other "spectacular and unique" day trip from Osaka, by the way, is a shinkansen trip to Hiroshima.

Decisions, decisions...

Wow! Thanks, marya, for that very thoughtful response! You could be my travel therapist!

Thanks for pointing out some highlights of Osaka that I was not aware of. And I'll also look at temples outside of Kyoto.

Thanks again!

"Travel Therapist" -- I love the term. As a frequent beneficiary of the sage advice of many of the more senior Travel Therapists on this board, I am delighted if any of my comments help you in a small way.

If you could have stayed overnight at Koya san, I would have advised "Go for it " because I really do get the appeal. I just think that the value proposition is not there for a day visit given your itinerary constraints. Enough said.

Now, where will you find some inspiration and magic on your Kansai day before you head up to. Hokkaido? Many wonderful possibilities. Please let us know what you decide to do.

Hi, is Arashiyama do-able as a short day trip from Osaka? Say leave at 7 p.m. and back to Osaka by 3 p.m.? Is it logistically easier to get to than Koya-san? One train ride and no other transfers? Is 45 mins one way correct?

If you have more info on how to get there from Osaka, please share.

It's an option I'd like to have in case we want to really get outside of Osaka.

Thanks!

Arashiyama is a district of Kyoto. It would be easier to reach than Koya-san.

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3912.html

Yes, Arashiyama is very doable as a short day-trip. That is what we did, in fact. We saw our son off from the airport express bus stop next to Umeda, one of the main train stations in Osaka, one Sunday in August, and then wanted something lovely to do for the rest of that beautiful day since we were missing him. We hopped on a train at about 1:45 pm to spend the rest of the afternoon out at Arashiyama.

Because our visit was so short, we did not see a great deal but we went for a long leisurely visit to Tenryu-ji (Temple of the Heavenly Dragon) and its beautiful Sogenchi garden. We strolled through the bamboo forest, which was charming. We explored a shrine, a graveyard, the main street of the touristy little town, and some sidestreets. We paused to eat icecream cones and enjoy the view from the bridge over the Oigawa (river), thinking how beautiful the Fall foliage must be. All of those sights are easily walkable from the train station. If we had had more time, we would have gone to see Koryu-ji, one of Kyoto's oldest temples.

I don't know where you are staying in Osaka, but here is a likely route for you from Umeda station, the main station of the Hankyu line.
Leave Umeda at 7 a.m. on Hankyu Kyoto line Ltd. Express (35 minutes)
Arrive Katsura at 7:35
Leave Katsura at 7:46 on Hankyu rashiyama line (8 minut)
Arrive Arashiyama at 7:54

The transfer at Katsura is easy, and then Arashiyama is the terminus so that is even easier to manage.

I got that information by searching at Hyperdia.com. Why don't you go to that site and see if you can plot your return trip at the desired time in the afternoon. If you know the subway stop neart your hotel, you can plot your journey right from that departure point since Hyperdia incorporates subway times as well. It is a great tool.

Thanks, kja and marya! marya, thanks for all the detailed plans. We're staying at the Sheraton in Osaka. Haven't checked exactly where it is.

Also, anyone know how to go from airport to hotel?

Thanks so much!

This answer assumes you are flying into Kansai International Airport (KIX) and staying at the Sheraton Miyako Hotel, Osaka.

Since you have a nice bus connection between KIX and your hotel, I would recommend that option. One rarely takes a taxi for such a trip in Japan. We did the trip a few times by train and other times by bus -- the bus is easier because they help you stow your luggage and retrieve it unlike on trains where you need to bump along with it by yourself and also change from train to subway for many destinations.

I just checked the Sheraton website and confirmed that the airport "limousine" bus stops right in front of your hotel. The bus departs KIX every 20-30 minutes between 6:35 AM and 10:00 PM. The ride is just under an hour. The cost is 1,500 yen (about $19 USD) per person.

The only important things to note are that you need to
a) buy your ticket first from a vending machine on the wall near the bus stop, and
b) get on the right bus.
Other buses go to the Umeda area and other parts of the city.

I cut and paste the instruction from your website, keeping language quirks intact.

"Limousine bus is available on the first floor outside of KIX terminal building. Before embarking on the bus, please purchase a bus ticket at the vending machine located near the bus stop. The bus destinated to "Kintetsu Uehommachi" leaves from bus stop number 7 and stops in front of our hotel.

I don't know whether "in front of our hotel" is literally true. If it is down the block a bit, don't forget in your jet-lagged state that traffic keeps to the left so you need to look in the correct direction when stepping off the curb or you might get clipped.

By the way, your hotel is just a mile from the Shitenno-ji (temple) and also a mile from Osaka-jo (castle). Your concierge can help you plot train and subway routes for going to Kyoto, etc., but don't forget that Hyperdia.com is a great tool for planning Japanese train and subway travel. You may already know how to use it from earlier trips.

Thank you so much, marya, for going out the way to look up detailed information. Very helpful!

Have a great week ahead!

Hi all,

Do you think it's worth getting the Osaka unlimited one day pass for 10/7 (Sun, and it's a holiday weekend in Japan with 10/8 being the holiday)? It seems like a good deal if we can hit many sights, but I'm afraid the lines will be very long for getting in some towers, etc. I don't want to waste 1 or 2 hours standing in line.

http://www.osaka-info.jp/osp/en/guide/guide.html

Or you think time is better spent wandering the streets of Osaka, dropping in a few outstanding sights, and eating?

Thanks for your advice!

Don't go to Koya-san without spending the night. What about an excursion to the Miho museum 1 hour out of Kyoto into the mountains. IM Pei architecture, small but spectaculart art collection, half devoted to Japan, half to classical art. The interplay between the beauty of nature, the beauty of art and the beauty of the architecture left us breathless and in true art ecstasy, one of the best experiences we had in Japan. If you haven't been there before, don't miss it.

cmstraf, thanks for that suggestion. Somehting I didn't know about. I'll note it.

Crisis about hotel in Osaka. My DH thought he'd booked the Sheraton in Osaka using his points, but somehow didn't follow through to the final confirmation, and now it's all sold out. Bummer, as it's in a convenient location.

Our plan now is to stay at the Hyatt Regency, but it's in a far-out location on the Bay (near the acquarium).
Questions:

1) Is it convenient to take public transportation from the hotel into the city -- Namba, Osaka Castle, etc.? How comes NO ONE on tripadvisor mentioned this, and they all had to rely on the hotel shuttle with limited schedule? (Thinking of getting the Osaka 2 day unlimited pass, so we could use the free public transport. Hope there are trains/subways in this area that work with the pass.)

2) How to go from Kansai airport to Hyatt Regency? By train or bus? (Sorry, I couldn't figure out how Hyperdia works. Can't just enter hotel name. You have to know which station you want in advance?)

3) If the hotel is so inconvenient for sightseeing Osaka in 1 day, maybe we should just head out to Mt. Koyasan on Sat night and stay til Sunday?? From Kansai, is it possible to go directly to Koyasan?

Thanks!

For Question 3, I meant Kansai International Airport.

Thanks

Being a Diamond member we have stayed at the Hyatt Osaka twice. Cosmosquare is the nearest subway station with convenient hotel shuttles every 15 minutes. It's about a fifteen minute walk or the 5 minute shuttle bus ride. There are hotel shuttles buses every half hour to and from the JR Osaka station a 25 minute ride away. IIRC the shuttles stop at 10:00 pm.

The best way to the hotel is via the Airport limosine bus. You buy your ticket in the window(or machines on the walls)right outside the doorway marked bus exits. I forget which stop(6 or 8 of them) is the one for the Hyatt but the person selling tickets can tell you. The bus will take you directly to the Hyatt front door where they will unload your luggage and the bell boys will take them and escort you to the front desk.....really easy. If you were to take the train you would have to take a non JR train into Namba then transfer to another train to take you to the JR Osaka station where you would take the Hyatt shuttle bus to the hotel....not convenient but doable.
The Hyatt is right across the street from the convention center and the little mall with a few restaurants to eat at so your not forced to eat all your meals in the hotel. If you know how to use the Osaka subway system then Osaka sightseeing is only a ride away. I like the hotel and although not in the greatest location in Osaka if you are using points like we did then the price is right,lol

A two day pass sounds good if you use it. In Osaka and the Kansai area it might be better to get an Icoca card similar to the Suica. You are supposed to be able to use the Suica now instead of the Icoca but as of last Nov my Suica still didn't work in Osaka.

Aloha!

Thanks, HT. Yes, we'll be using Hyatt points. For the limo bus, is the Hyatt one of the first stops from the airport? I hope it doesn't have to go to all the downtown hotels before it gets to the Hyatt?

How about on going to the airport? Or it's a different limo bus than the one serving the central area?

Thanks!

Different bus and route.

The route taken by the limo bus takes you right along Osaka Bay and a scenic route you would probably never see unless taking this bus. They only stop the Nanko Ferry terminal occasionally and the cruise ship pier before the Hyatt so a pretty short ride(about 45 minutes) as opposed to the central Osaka buses.

http://www.kate.co.jp/pc/e_time_table/e_usj_tt.html#from

bus stops and map of KIX ground floor also KIX site

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/access/bus/index.html

and by looking at the map I guess I remembered incorrectly about the number of bus stops but I knew there were a bunch

just realized that you will arriving late at night right? If so you should get something to eat at KIX before you leave because everything in the area around the hotel will be closed with probably just room service and maybe pizza delivery by the time you get there. Just make sure you don't miss the last bus at 21:45.

Aloha!

The time table link is very useful. But we might be cutting very close though.

Our flight from the US lands on Sat at 3:15 p.m. The limo bus takes off at 4:10 p.m. Possible to make it? How long does it take to clear immigration and custom in Osaka?

The next bus after this is at 7:10 p.m. If we miss the 4:10 p.m. bus, I guess it's better to catch a train instead.

Also on the return, the first bus leaves from the Hyatt at 7:30 a.m. and arrives at the airport at 8:20 a.m. But our flight to Hokkaido is at 9:30 a.m.! Is this cutting too close? Maybe we should just take the train here too?

In any case, it's really good that you sent me the link so I can plan ahead. I was assuming there's a bus every 30 minutes or so.

Thanks again, HT, for being extremely helpful to me in planning this trip!!!

If you miss the limo bus you can catch the JR train straight from KIX to JR Osaka station and catch the free Hyatt shuttle bus from there. IIRC the shuttle bus stop is outside the south entrance of the JR Osaka station.

http://www.kansai-airport.or.jp/en/access/train/index.html

Or you can take the limo bus to JR Osaka station....well across the street as the Hankyu and Herbis are across the street from the station then Hyatt shuttle.

http://www.kate.co.jp/pc/e_time_table/e_osaka_sta_tt.html#from

Yes the train might be better on your flight out in the early morning. Is your domestic flight to Hokkaido leaving from KIX or ITM? Lots of the domestic flights would leave from ITM is why I am asking.

Aloha!

all that said you should make the 4:15 bus as planes from the US usually arrive early.

Thanks, HT. Hopefully, we can catch the 4:15 p.m. bus. And I also called Hyatt Osaka, and they reassured me there's no problem with catching the 7:10 am. bus to the airport on departure. I guess the Japanese have a lot of faith in their system. No traffic congestion concerns?

Was that expressway pretty open when you took the limo bus?

Thanks!

Wide open....everyone travels on the other side of town and not near the docks.

I have a lot of confidence in Japan's transport systems though I have been delayed before. You can set you watch to the trains it is said and the buses are equipped with a GPS system that tells them what route is open and which ones are blocked by traffic ahead.

I think I left this for you on your Hokkaido thread but if you take a look at the map of Osaka Port and South Port on bottom of page six you will see the Hyatt Osaka's location and its closest subway station Cosmo Square.

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-505.pdf