Originally Posted by
RichardInSF
First of all, Amanosato is 30 km from Koyasan and really only reachable by car. Koyasan is reachable by bus. I did see a local line (#21 was the number) that a lot of folks were waiting for. Possibly it goes to a train station. The town itself is too long to walk. The two most famous sites are a temple that is the HQ of a major Buddhist sect and the funeral mortuary of its founder. They are at least 6 km apart. I really think you need a rental car here too unless you take an organized tourist bus trip (which will be with 30+ other people).
The sect in question is called
Shingon and the cemetery is called Okunoin; it is where Shingon founder Kobo Daishi rests in eternal meditation. The distance between the main
Shingon temple (Kongobu-ji) and the cemetery is 2.3km - a leisurely 30-minute walk. I personally found Koyasan to be quite walkable when the weather is nice and cool. Most sites are located between Daimon Gate to the west and
Okunoin to the east - all within 3.4km.