Featured Hotels Near Kounji Ruins

Stay at Hirata Hidden Retreat, a boutique ryokan nestled just a 5-minute walk from the Hongyunji Temple ruins. This former farmhouse features tatami-mat rooms with natural stone baths, and offers complimentary tea ceremony sessions to deepen your connection with Japanese tradition.

The retreat partners with local historians for exclusive night walks through the temple ruins, revealing hidden inscriptions and ancient stone pathways. Limited to guests only, this experience brings the spiritual aura of the site to life. Book early via the HopeGoo app to secure your spot.

Hirata Mountain Slope Hotel is the closest accommodation, just a 3-minute walk from the Hongyunji Temple ruins. The hotel offers free guided tours daily at 9 AM, led by heritage experts who share stories of the Heian-era Buddhist history behind the remaining stone gates, steps, and inscribed tablets.

Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hirata River valley and the distant Shirasu Mountains, with select suites including private balconies perfect for morning meditation. On-site dining serves kaiseki cuisine crafted from local mountain ingredients. Reserve your stay early through HopeGoo to guarantee availability.

Beyond walking to the ruins, Hirata Mountain Slope Hotel hosts the "Morning Bell Meditation Day"—a pre-dawn session at 6:30 AM where guests join a simulated monk’s routine of zazen (seated meditation) and sutra chanting, offering a genuine taste of Zen practice.

Guests can also participate in a one-day workshop at a local pottery studio using clay unearthed from the temple site, crafting personalized keepsake ceramics marked with their name and date. For a special evening experience, the Moonlight Sketching Session takes place during full moons, guided by professional artists to capture the poetic shadows of ancient pillars and ivy-covered stones. All events are exclusive to guests; book via HopeGoo to secure your spot.