Experience Ajikan Atop Sacred Koyasan

Control your breathing at a special meditation workshop at Kongobuji Temple

If you feel like taking a breather from your travels or are interested in a unique form of meditation, Kongobuji, a temple located in the mountaintop religious complex of Koyasan, offers workshops in the Shingon Buddhist-style meditation known as ajikan. The sessions take place in a dojo located in the temple’s serene rock garden, and which is typically off-limits to tourists.

In this sacred setting, you'll learn to still the mind and engage in breathing patterns designed to calm the body and encourage contemplation. The temple’s monks are on hand to provide guidance during the 60-minute workshop. 

The temple staff encourages anyone interested to arrive early enough to claim a spot in one of the four daily time slots. Ajikan sessions are generally held Friday through Monday.

Access: From Shin-Osaka Station, take the Midosuji Line subway to Namba Station (about 15 minutes), transfer to the Nankai-Koya Line to Gokurakubashi Station (about 40 minutes), then transfer to the Nankai Koyasan Cable (funicular train) to Koyasan Station (about five minutes) and walk about 35 minutes to Kongobuji Temple.

Koyasan Shingon Sect Main Temple Kongobuji