Hagurosan Sankoin

The highlight for me was the evening trip to see the illuminated five-story pagoda around 7 PM. It was great. The vegetarian meals were good too, especially the tempura, and you could get more rice. Breakfast included mochi, which I hadn't been able to try on Mt. Haguro, so I was glad to have it here. This was my first temple lodging, at Sankoin Temple on Mt. Haguro. My room was a spacious 10-tatami room for one, with the futon already laid out. There was no view, and the closet connected to the next room, which felt nostalgic. There was no room key, so I left my valuables behind. The air conditioner needs to stay in eco mode or the breaker may trip. The bath and dining room are on the first floor. The bath was empty when I went, with five washing stations and just one sink. There are no amenities or sauna, so bring what you need. The window looked out onto grass. Wi-Fi details were posted in the hallway, but I couldn't find the network on my iPhone SE3. It worked on my iPad Mini, and sharing the connection from there got my phone online too. The speed was decent. I parked in the lot diagonally across the street. At first I wasn't sure I'd found the right place, but when I said I was staying that night, they asked my name and confirmed it. Dinner was at 6 PM, baths were open until I think 9 PM, the goma fire ceremony began at 6:30 AM, and breakfast started at 7. After the ceremony, they told us stories about Mt. Haguro before breakfast.

The meals are healthy vegetarian food, served in a big dining hall that works well for groups. You can also attend the early morning goma fire prayer. My room had good Wi-Fi, and there were some guests from abroad as well. Room sizes depend on the season. I had a 6-tatami room by myself, though apparently they also have 10-tatami rooms for one person. The shared bath is spacious, and the toilets are clean.

The only thing that didn't work for me was the buckwheat husk pillow. My husband usually uses one and slept comfortably, but I use memory foam, and this pillow felt too hard and tall. That's just personal preference, so bring your own if pillows matter to you. The futon was fine, with just the right firmness, and my back didn't hurt. We were the only guests, so it was wonderfully quiet. The vegetarian dinner we'd been looking forward to was delicious, and we were both impressed as we finished it. My husband was pleased that alcohol was available too. The large bath was set up just for us. It's not a hot spring, but the water felt good and left our skin silky. The big window had been cleaned of scale, and we could see the cherry trees outside while we soaked and talked about coming back in spring. The whole place was well kept and comfortable. We'd definitely like to return.

The old-fashioned feel came with WiFi and fully automated toilets, which was thoughtful. The head priest's warm welcome also helped ease the tiredness from our climb. Dinner was flavorful vegetarian food, and the bath, which seemed to use hot spring water, left our skin feeling incredibly smooth. In the morning we heard a conch shell and attended the goma fire ritual. We also got to hear stories about the history and anecdotes of Hagurosan Shrine. We heard the priest does a 100-day winter retreat too, and would love to hear about it next time.