Oukai Villa Izumi

Below the cedar-lined approach to Koyasan's Okunoin cemetery, Oukai Villa Izumi occupies a traditional structure on Tsuboicho, keeping tatami flooring and deep soaking bathtubs in rooms that overlook an enclosed garden courtyard.

Bicycle rental lets guests trace the mountain town's pilgrim circuit at their own pace; the tour desk arranges guided walks through the 117-temple precinct. Room service and an on-site restaurant mean guests need not venture out after dusk, when Okunoin's stone lanterns illuminate the moss-covered graves.

Koyasan sits at 900 metres elevation on the Kinki Nippon Railway's Koya line, reached from Osaka Namba in roughly two hours. Private check-in and soundproofed rooms suit pilgrims arriving after long mountain walks.