The village of Mount Koya is located few hours far from the cities of Osaka and Nara. This mystic place, surrounded by green forests and natural landscapes, houses hundreds of  Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines.  This small village is the headquarter of the Shingon Buddhism, a sect entered in Japan on 805, carried in by the famous monk Kobo Daishi.

This place has been used as a stage for the movie "The Last Samurai", the popular samurai drama featured by Tom Cruise.
Some of the temples in the area function as shukubo, where tourists are welcome to overnight, try shojin ryori, the vegetarian cuisine of monks and participate in the morning prayers. This could be a unique chance to experiment the hearth of Japanese traditional Buddhism.