2 days / 1 night in Wakayama: temples or coast?
For a temple overnight stay, give Kongobuji and Danjo Garan a day each in Koyasan. For beach and cliffs, compare a Shirahama night followed by Sandanbeki the next day. Koyasan uses Nankai trains, cable car and mountain buses; Shirahama uses JR and Meiko buses.
Choose a 1 night, 2 days itinerary
A day each for Kongobuji and Danjo Garan
Choose this route to spend a night in Koyasan and spread out temple visits. Visit Kongobuji on day 1 and Danjo Garan on day 2, travelling by Nankai trains, cable car and mountain buses.
A day each for Kongobuji and Danjo Garan →1 night, 2 days BBeach on day 1, Sandanbeki on day 2
Choose this route for a coastal overnight stay with separate beach and cliff visits. Walk Shirarahama on day 1, visit Sandanbeki on day 2, then return to Shirahama Station. Use Meiko buses between the beach, cliffs and station.
Beach on day 1, Sandanbeki on day 2 →A day each for Kongobuji and Danjo Garan
Choose this route to spend a night in Koyasan and spread out temple visits. Visit Kongobuji on day 1 and Danjo Garan on day 2, travelling by Nankai trains, cable car and mountain buses.
Day 1 morning · Gokurakubashi to the mountain
Take a mountain bus from Koyasan Station to Kongobuji, then stay in Koyasan. Match temple hours with bus and cable-car connections for your date. Check your property’s information for getting there and meal times.
- Nankai Hashimoto → Gokurakubashi
Take a Nankai Koya Line local train from Hashimoto towards Gokurakubashi. Check the weekday or weekend/public holiday timetable for your date, together with the cable-car connection. Transport from your starting city to Hashimoto is separate. Distinguish ordinary tickets from additional reserved-seat and limited express charges.
Nankai Koya Line route informationHashimoto weekday timetable towards KoyasanHashimoto timetable towards Koyasan (weekdays and weekends/public holidays)
- Gokurakubashi → Cable car to Koyasan Station
Leave the train and change to the Koyasan-bound cable car. Choose a service from the timetable for your date that leaves enough time after the train arrives. From Koyasan Station, you still need a mountain bus to your hotel or temple.
Nankai Koya Line route informationGokurakubashi weekday timetable towards KoyasanGokurakubashi–Koyasan cable-car timetable (weekdays and weekends/public holidays)
- Koyasan Station bus stop → Kongobuji-mae bus stop
Take a mountain bus from Koyasan Station that calls at Kongobuji-mae and get off there. The official fare tables for routes 21, 31, 41, 42, 43 and 52, 53, 55 list JPY 460 per adult for this section. Route 44 via Daimon Minami car park has a different stopping sequence. Check destination and the weekday or weekend/public holiday station timetable, choosing a service that leaves time to visit before admission ends at 16:30. If going to your hotel first, check its own stop.
Rinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-28Rinkan Bus Koyasan Station timetable from 2026-03-28Kongobuji rail access and mountain map
- Kongobuji-mae → Visit Kongobuji
Go from the stop to Kongobuji. Usual hours are 08:30–17:00, with admission until 16:30; check event-day arrangements separately. Afterwards, go to your booked accommodation. If you arrive late, visit Kongobuji first the next morning and adjust time for Danjo Garan.
Kongobuji and Danjo Garan fees and hoursKoyasan temple and Danjo Garan locationsKongobuji rail access and mountain map
- Kongobuji → Booked accommodation, dinner and overnight stay
Go to your booked accommodation after the visit. Check the actual walking or bus route and dinner start time in your booking conditions. Ask whether dinner can be served if you will arrive late.
Kongobuji rail access and mountain mapKoyasan Shukubo Association accommodation information by property
Day 2 morning · Danjo Garan
Add the final visit only if time remains before your departure connection. Skip it for a morning departure.
- Koyasan accommodation → Konpon Daito at Danjo Garan
Visit Konpon Daito if time remains before your return transport. It is a separate facility and admission from Kongobuji. Usual hours are 08:30–17:00, with admission until 16:30. Check event-day arrangements. Kondo’s interior costs another JPY 500 and is optional. If you missed Kongobuji yesterday, prioritise one place according to the time before your return journey.
Kongobuji and Danjo Garan fees and hoursKoyasan temple and Danjo Garan locationsKongobuji rail access and mountain map
- Danjo Garan and Kongobuji-mae → Bus to Koyasan Station
After sightseeing, use the official mountain map to find the Kongobuji-mae boarding point and take a Koyasan Station-bound bus. The official stop timetable lists station-bound routes 31, 41, 43, 52 and 53; adult fare is JPY 460. Use this boarding point after the Kongobuji area; if using another stop near Danjo Garan or your hotel, check that stop’s station-bound timetable separately. Weekday school-day and school-holiday timetables differ, with a separate weekend/public holiday timetable. Leave time between the bus arrival and cable-car departure; shorten the final visit for an early connection.
Rinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-28Rinkan Bus Kongobuji-mae timetable from 2026-03-28Kongobuji rail access and mountain map
- Koyasan Station → Cable car to Gokurakubashi
Take the Gokurakubashi-bound cable car from Koyasan Station. Check its departure in the weekday or weekend/public holiday timetable for your date. Allow time to get from the mountain bus to the cable-car platform.
Nankai Koya Line route informationCable cars from Koyasan and connecting trains (weekdays and weekends/public holidays)
- Gokurakubashi → Nankai Hashimoto
Leave the cable car and change to a Hashimoto-bound local train. Check the day’s destination and departure information, leaving time for station movement and ticket checks. Look up onward connections from Hashimoto too.
Nankai Koya Line route informationGokurakubashi timetable towards Namba and Hashimoto (weekdays and weekends/public holidays)
- Nankai Hashimoto → Towards your chosen departure city or airport
For Wakayama city, check connections through the change to JR’s Wakayama Line at Hashimoto. For Osaka, check through to your chosen Nankai terminus. Allow separate time for tickets, station movement, waiting, airport transport and check-in. If continuing to an airport, check the connection through subsequent trains to your flight.
Nankai Hashimoto and JR interchange informationNankai Koya Line route information
Included items: The partial adult subtotal includes JPY 1,500 for Kongobuji and Konpon Daito admission and JPY 1,980 for ordinary return travel between Hashimoto and Koyasan on Koya Line trains and the cable car.
Extra costs and conditions: Required mountain buses are excluded. The reference Koyasan Station–Kongobuji-mae section costs JPY 460 each way, JPY 920 return; additional hotel bus journeys are extra. Transport from your starting city to Hashimoto is also excluded. JR, city buses, limited express supplements, accommodation, meals, luggage storage and optional Kondo admission are extra.
Ordinary adult admission costs JPY 1,000 at Kongobuji and JPY 500 at Konpon Daito, totalling JPY 1,500. Add the ordinary Hashimoto–Koyasan return fare of JPY 1,980 for JPY 3,480. The JPY 990 one-way rail fare includes Koya Line trains and the cable car. Add JPY 500 if visiting Kondo’s interior.
Mountain buses are separate from that subtotal. Koyasan Station–Kongobuji-mae costs JPY 460 each way, JPY 920 return. The adult Koyasan day pass costs JPY 1,500, so individual fares for just this return journey are JPY 580 less. The pass applies on the designated date and sections, excluding the express Tateri Line and Koya-Ryujin Line. Stops and extra journeys vary with your hotel; add the bus fares you actually need. Starting-city transport, JR, city buses, accommodation and meals are extra.
Kongobuji and Danjo Garan fees and hoursNankai official fare searchRinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-28Rinkan Bus Koyasan day-pass price and coverage
Beach on day 1, Sandanbeki on day 2
Choose this route for a coastal overnight stay with separate beach and cliff visits. Walk Shirarahama on day 1, visit Sandanbeki on day 2, then return to Shirahama Station. Use Meiko buses between the beach, cliffs and station.
Day 1 · JR Shirahama to the beach
Walk the beach on day 1, visit Sandanbeki on day 2, then leave by JR. Choose a return train that allows time for the cliffs, lunch and the bus back to Shirahama Station. Skip the day 2 cliffs for a morning departure.
- JR Shirahama Station → Shirarahama bus stop
From JR Shirahama (S0), take Sandanbeki-bound Meiko route 12 to Shirarahama (S15). Check the JR arrival and bus departure for your date together. The railway station and beach stop are separate places.
Meiko timetable revised on 2026-04-01Find Meiko Shirahama routes and timetables
- Shirarahama bus stop → Walk Shirarahama Beach
Walk from Shirarahama stop to the beach and along the coast. This itinerary does not assume swimming. Afterwards, have dinner in Shirahama and stay overnight.
Day 2 morning · Sandanbeki cliffs
- Shirahama accommodation → Shirarahama and Sandanbeki stops
Take Sandanbeki-bound Meiko route 12 from Shirarahama (S15) to Sandanbeki (S24). Check departures, arrivals and calls in your date’s timetable. Skip the cliff visit for an early return connection.
Meiko timetable revised on 2026-04-01Sandanbeki cliffs, cave and bus access
- Sandanbeki bus stop → Cliff views and optional cave
Walk about 5 minutes from the stop, as listed by the tourism bureau, for free cliff views. The cave is a separate paid facility: ordinary adult admission, for junior high school pupils and older, is JPY 1,500. Buy your ticket in the building to the right of the viewpoint and take the lift down. The official roughly 30-minute interior visit excludes ticket and lift queues. Usual hours are 08:00–17:00, last entry 16:50. Temporary closure for inspections may occur in mid-December; check weather-related operations on the day too. Leave for a return bus that connects with your booked departure; skip the cave if queues are long.
Sandanbeki cliffs, cave and bus accessSandanbeki Cave fees, hours and admission route
- Sandanbeki → Shirarahama and lunch
Take route 11 towards Tanabe Station via JR Shirahama from Sandanbeki (S24) back to Shirarahama (S15). Check departure, arrival and stops for your date. Have lunch near the beach, then check the next station-bound bus.
- Shirarahama → JR Shirahama and departure checks
Take route 11 towards Tanabe Station via JR Shirahama from Shirarahama (S15) to JR Shirahama (S0). Check buses, JR trains, reserved seats and ticket collection time for your date. For a morning train, skip the cliffs and go to the station. For flights, check airport transport and check-in separately.
Included items: The subtotal includes four adult individual bus fares totalling JPY 1,160 and JPY 1,500 for optional ordinary cave admission.
Extra costs and conditions: Partial subtotal excluding JR between your starting city and Shirahama, accommodation, meals, luggage storage and other facilities.
Based on the fare table revised on 2021-04-08 and linked from the official route page as of 9 October. Station–Shirarahama fares are JPY 340 each way, and Shirarahama–Sandanbeki fares JPY 240 each way: four adult fares total JPY 1,160. Free cliff views leave a JPY 1,160 bus subtotal; add ordinary cave admission of JPY 1,500 for JPY 2,660. JR and other costs are excluded, so this is not a total trip budget. The official JPY 1,600 two-day pass costs JPY 440 more than these four fares. Pass plus ordinary cave admission totals JPY 3,100 before discounts. Recheck fares, admission and discount conditions for your date. If the official pass’s JPY 100 cave discount applies, pass plus cave costs JPY 3,000, JPY 340 more than the JPY 2,660 individual-fare option. Confirm ticket presentation and use-date conditions on site.
Meiko Shirahama section faresMeiko pass prices and end of paper 3-day passSandanbeki Cave fees, hours and admission route
Koyasan transport and visitor information
Separate the train, cable-car and mountain-bus sequence and fares. Choose return connections for your date, then fit temples and accommodation around them.
Mountains and coast use different buses
For Koyasan, change from Nankai Koya Line trains and the cable car to mountain buses. Shirahama uses Meiko buses; Nachi uses the Kumano Gobo Nankai Bus Nachisan Line. One local bus pass does not cover all three areas.
Koyasan Station–Kongobuji-mae costs JPY 460 each way, JPY 920 return. The JPY 1,500 Koyasan day pass applies on the designated date and sections, excluding the express Tateri Line and Koya-Ryujin Line. Individual fares are cheaper for just this return journey. The four Koyasan routes’ existing subtotals exclude mountain buses; add hotel-specific extra journeys separately. Kongobuji-mae and Senjuinbashi are different stops. Distinguish weekdays, weekends/public holidays and school-day/school-holiday tables, matching hotel access and actual-date connections.
Kongobuji rail access and mountain mapFind Meiko Shirahama routes and timetablesNachisan Line timetable revised on 2026-04-01Rinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-28Rinkan Bus Koyasan Station timetable from 2026-03-28Rinkan Bus Kongobuji-mae timetable from 2026-03-28Rinkan Bus Koyasan day-pass price and coverage
Getting to Koyasan: train → cable car → mountain bus
Take the Koya Line from Hashimoto towards Gokurakubashi, change there to the Koyasan-bound cable car, then use a mountain bus to your temple or booked hotel. Return by mountain bus, Gokurakubashi-bound cable car and Hashimoto-bound train.
Kongobuji rail access and mountain mapHashimoto weekday timetable towards KoyasanGokurakubashi weekday timetable towards Koyasan
Koyasan fare: JPY 1,980 return from Hashimoto
Ordinary adult Hashimoto–Koyasan fares are JPY 990 one way, JPY 1,980 return, including Koya Line trains and the cable car. Starting-city–Hashimoto transport, mountain buses, temple admission, accommodation and meals are extra.
Koyasan timings: choose connections for your date
Check train and cable-car connections in your date’s weekday or weekend/public holiday timetable. Choose mountain buses around temple admission deadlines and hotel meal times. On return, allow time from bus alighting to the cable car and match onward trains or airport transfers after Hashimoto.
Hashimoto weekday timetable towards KoyasanHashimoto timetable towards Koyasan (weekdays and weekends/public holidays)Gokurakubashi weekday timetable towards KoyasanGokurakubashi–Koyasan cable-car timetable (weekdays and weekends/public holidays)Cable cars from Koyasan and connecting trains (weekdays and weekends/public holidays)Gokurakubashi timetable towards Namba and Hashimoto (weekdays and weekends/public holidays)
Return to your hotel plan after Shirarahama
For a Shirahama visit from Kii-Katsuura, recheck day-trip and overnight arrangements. Even when using the 2-day beach/cliff route as a reference, adjust JR fares between bases and your nights separately.
Compare keeping the weather backup day with a day trip or 1 Shirahama night.
Compare 2 nights in Shirahama and 2 in Kii-Katsuura with 1 night in Shirahama and 3 in Kii-Katsuura.
JR official time and fare search (enter your travel date)Find Meiko Shirahama routes and timetables
Frequently asked questions
Can I walk straight from Shirahama Station to the beach?
Use a Meiko bus from the station to the beach, getting off at Shirarahama. Leave time to change from train to bus.
Find Meiko Shirahama routes and timetablesMeiko timetable revised on 2026-04-01
Does temple accommodation include all admissions and programmes?
Conditions vary by property. Check your booking’s meals, bathing facilities, programmes, admission inclusions and check-in time.
Koyasan Shukubo Association accommodation information by property
Sources and confirmation dates
- Kongobuji rail access and mountain map ·
- Kongobuji and Danjo Garan fees and hours ·
- Koyasan temple and Danjo Garan locations ·
- Shirarahama beach and stop information ·
- Find Meiko Shirahama routes and timetables ·
- Sandanbeki cliffs, cave and bus access ·
- Sandanbeki Cave fees, hours and admission route ·
- Nankai Koya Line route information ·
- Meiko timetable revised on 2026-04-01 ·
- Meiko Shirahama section fares ·
- Meiko pass prices and end of paper 3-day pass ·
- Nankai Hashimoto and JR interchange information ·
- JR official time and fare search (enter your travel date) ·
- Nachisan Line timetable revised on 2026-04-01 ·
- Koyasan Shukubo Association accommodation information by property ·
- Hashimoto weekday timetable towards Koyasan ·
- Gokurakubashi weekday timetable towards Koyasan ·
- Nankai official fare search ·
- Rinkan Bus Koyasan mountain fares from 2026-03-28 ·
- Rinkan Bus Koyasan Station timetable from 2026-03-28 ·
- Rinkan Bus Kongobuji-mae timetable from 2026-03-28 ·
- Rinkan Bus Koyasan day-pass price and coverage ·
- Gokurakubashi–Koyasan cable-car timetable (weekdays and weekends/public holidays) ·
- Hashimoto timetable towards Koyasan (weekdays and weekends/public holidays) ·
- Cable cars from Koyasan and connecting trains (weekdays and weekends/public holidays) ·
- Gokurakubashi timetable towards Namba and Hashimoto (weekdays and weekends/public holidays) ·