So I have to state that it was the best stay during our 3-weeks travel around Japan. The place is a part of a shrine - some kind of very modernized (yet at the same time traditional) guesthouse. This is the best place to feel the spirit of Japan, meditate and enjoy nature and culture. The rooms are very traditional, covered with tatami. We loved the electric kotatsu too. I highly recommend booking the room with breakfasts and dinners - they are enormous, beautiful and you will never forget this experience of eating in a traditional Japanese room. At the same time, everyone is very friendly and welcoming.

The experience of being in a temple and join the morning ceremonies was amazing

When I booked through this page I paid extra for a supposed room with private bathroom and once we arrived there we were told there were no rooms with private bathroom at all.

Exotic location , located in a large Japanese Buddhist Temple at the peak of Shigisan

No morning Onsen , only in the evening 5pm to 10pm.

We absolutely loved our stay here! Such a beautiful location and the staff were extremely welcoming. Exactly what we wanted of our trip to Japan!

It was beautiful and extraordinary.

No complaints.

everything! amazing to stay within the temple complex. fantastic food. wonderful staff and service.

it was wonderful. if you’re seeking luxury it may not fit the bill.

it’s an fantastic experience! I highly recommend visiting this temple for a stay. It is definitely a highlight of my stay in Japan. The temple at night is beyond lovely and getting to experience ritual and meditation with the monks is super intriguing. The people there are very friendly and ready to help even if you don’t speak Japanese well. you’ll get by even if there’s a language barrier. I also recommend the traditional Japanese food. I loved the experience. Thank you for opening the doors to visitors!

Meals well elaborate and delicious, the view from the room was spectacular, but the location was definitely the highlight. Being able to explore around the very large and beautiful complex at night was a special treat.

This was a real highlight from our time in Japan. The temple is so beautiful with incredible mountain views. The fire ceremony was really special and intimate. Dinner and breakfast were really delicious. Would 100% recommend staying here.

Nothing

This was something we wanted to do to add a different feel to our Japan visit. The temple of Gyokuzoin is nice but there's a few things which are VERY IMPORTANT to keep in mind. They close at 10PM, please make sure you arrive before 10PM. We didn't think the journey was going to be that long, and arrived slightly later than that, and we were terrified for a moment thinking we were going to have to sleep outside, but with a lot of help from our Taxi Driver (and Google Translate), someone eventually woke up and opened for us. Please also make sure you DON'T take a taxi from Nara Station, which cost us about 80eur to arrive from there. You will need to go to OJI Station and take a taxi from there. I feel this is IMPORTANT to mention. Once you arrive at Gyokuzoin, nothing is in English, so we had trouble understanding anything, or even, where the Reception area was. Really, this would have been a mistake if it wasn't for the help from our Taxi Driver who stayed with us for almost 45mins figuring out and making calls for us. Other than that, the fire ceremony was great, and the temple is located on a quiet, secluded mountain, but we arrived too late to 'enjoy' Gyukozoin in its full glory.

If planned better, it could have been a better trip for us, I don't want to rate it badly because of my experience, JUST PLEASE READ & FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS to avoid disappointment.

While out of the way, it’s a simple bus trip to this location from the station. The monks were wonderfully nice (duh?) and the food was so good. While admittedly I stayed here at the height of the Corona virus scare and there were maybe two other guests here, the location is stunning and I had an amazing time.

Not a huge draw back, but as one who loves the hot hot water, the women only have an hour and a half window to use the on-sight sento (maybe onsen?)

Felt authentic