Koya-san

Koya-san is a monastery town on a forested mountaintop in Wakayama Prefecture, south of Osaka, and it has been the center of Shingon Buddhism since the monk Kukai founded it in 816. More than a hundred temples share the summit plateau, and religion is the town's entire life.

Okunoin, Japan's largest cemetery, stretches through towering cedars to Kukai's mausoleum; walk it after dark, when stone lanterns light the path. The Danjo Garan complex and Kongobu-ji temple anchor the town's center, their halls painted and gardened to match the mountain's standing.

The thing to do is stay: dozens of temples take overnight guests, serving shojin ryori vegetarian dinners and welcoming you to morning prayers. The cable car up from the valley makes the mountain feel properly set apart. One night is the standard visit, and autumn brings both color and crowds.