How Should You Dress and Behave at Koyasan's Temples? Photos, Yukata and Fees

Published 2026-10-04 · Sources checked 2026-10-04 · Treasure Hunting Co., Ltd.

This guide is for visitors who want to behave well at Koyasan's temples and know what to expect at the ticket counter. It covers what to wear, what is not allowed, how the temple describes the traditional way to worship, and the entry fees the main temple publishes.

We used the official pages of Koyasan Shingon Sect Main Temple Kongobu-ji and of the Koyasan Shukubo Association. All pages were read on 2026-10-04. Koyasan is a working religious site, so the temple's own instructions come first.

What to wear

The temple says visiting is done in a solemn manner, so dress and behave appropriately. Its guidelines are specific:

• If you attend a religious service, dress formally.
• Even on a normal visit, do not dress too casually. Avoid revealing clothes, short skirts and shorts.
• If your shoulders or back are largely exposed, wear a jacket.
• Okunoin is the center of the faith. Visitors in revealing clothes will be asked to cover up or not to enter.

There is one rule that surprises many guests. The temple says the yukata, the light cotton robe provided at your temple lodging, is for indoor use only. Change into regular clothes to visit the Main Hall or to attend the morning service. The temple adds that a yukata is not suitable for sacred places such as Danjo Garan and Okunoin.

What is not allowed

The temple lists three prohibited matters:

• Photography in designated areas. Some places ban photos strictly. Check whether a place allows them before you take one.
• Smoking outside designated smoking areas.
• Vehicles and bicycles in the designated holy areas and temple grounds. If you need access, ask your destination in advance.

The traditional way to worship

The temple describes the basic steps for visitors who want to pray in the traditional way.

1. At the temple gate and the entrance of a holy area, take off your hat. Put your hands together in front of your chest, which is called "gassho", and bow once.
2. If there is a water pavilion, rinse both hands and your mouth.
3. At the entrance of a hall, gassho and bow once, then go in.
4. In front of the main image, gassho and bow once. Offer a candle, an incense stick and a donation, recite a sutra and pray. Finish with gassho and a bow.
5. When you leave, gassho and bow once more at the hall exit and the gate.

Entry fees at the main temple

The temple publishes a fee table in Japanese. Prices are in yen, and the figures below are for junior high school students and older unless stated.

• Kongobuji: 1,000 yen. Elementary school children pay 300 yen. Children below school age are free. Open 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM, with the last entry at 4:30 PM.
• Kondo hall: 500 yen. Elementary school children and younger are free.
• Konpon Daito pagoda: 500 yen. Elementary school children and younger are free.
• Tokugawa Family Mausoleum: 200 yen, open 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM, last entry 4:10 PM.
• Combined ticket: the table lists a 2,500 yen combined ticket, "Kyotsu Nai-hai-ken", that covers "the five places above". The table also lists a 1,000 yen precept ceremony. We have not confirmed exactly which five places the ticket covers.

The table says disabled visitors and one helper are free on showing a disability certificate. Group discounts apply to groups of 20 or more. It lists the Nyonindo hall as free, open 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The lodging association describes a different, shared ticket. It says six sites charge separate fees, and that its information centers sell a "Common Ticket for Visiting Temples" for all six. Ask which ticket you are buying.

Meditation and other experiences

The temple offers hands-on experiences, including ajikan meditation, sutra chanting, sutra copying, flower arrangement and religious dance. For the beginner ajikan session at its large rock garden, you register at the charms counter at the back of Kongobuji. The place is first come, first served, and the page lists a 1,000 yen entry fee for non-members.

The temple notes that schedules can change because of other events. Check on the day.

What we could not verify, and therefore left out

• Which buildings and rooms ban photographs. The temple says to check at each place.
• Whether the fee table applies to every day of the year. The temple publishes separate year-end and New Year opening tables.
• The fees at the Reihokan Treasure Museum and Daishi Kyokai.
• Prices and rules at individual temple lodgings. We name no lodgings.

Related guides

• How do you get to Koyasan from Osaka, and get around the temple town?
• What are Okunoin and Danjo Garan, and why is Koyasan a World Heritage site?

Sources

All URLs retrieved 2026-10-04.

1. Guide for Worship (Koyasan Shingon Sect Main Temple Kongobu-ji) — (dress; yukata; prohibited matters; worship steps)
2. Fee table for Kongobuji and related sites (Koyasan Shingon Sect Main Temple Kongobu-ji, in Japanese) — (entry fees and hours)
3. Koyasan Sightseeing: Temple Tours & Rent-A-Cycle (Koyasan Shukubo Association) — (common ticket for six temples)
4. Experience (Koyasan Shingon Sect Main Temple Kongobu-ji) — (ajikan and other experiences)