Mount Koyasan commemorates its 1,200-year anniversary since being founded as a Buddhist training monastery, with a special 50-day service between April 2nd–May 21st 2015, called 'Daihoe'. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was originally founded by Kukai (Kobo Daishi) in 816.
With visitors numbers upwards of 300,000 expected, an increasing number of foreign visitors are expected to make up this total, with aging Japanese followers in decline and younger generations less interested. More English signage, Wi-Fi hotspots and Western-style toilets have been installed to better accommodate and attract foreign visitors. Staying at the Koyasan temples themselves is also an unrivalled experience that can't be matched anywhere else in Japan as a sightseeing experience.
Several renovations have been completed in preparations for the anniversary: the hinoki cypress roofing of the Okunoin Gobyo mausoleum has been refurbished, and a gate at Danjogaran in the centre of the monastery has been reconstructed. On April 2, yokozuna Hakuho and Harumafuji will perform a traditional sumo ceremony to celebrate its completion.
Nankai Electric Railway is also promoting a special ticket for foreign travellersm, ‘The World Heritage KOYASAN 1,200th anniversary ticket'. For ¥1,200, foreign tourists with a passport can get unlimited rides on the Nankai Railway (all lines) and the Nankai Rinkan Bus Line.
