Hi, I’m hoping to visit Japan in spring (fingers crossed!) and was planning on doing a temple stay. However, I recently found out I will be 6 months pregnant at the time! This is fine for the trip itself and I’m cleared to fly, but I was wondering if walking around Mount Koya is strenuous in any way that is not suitable for a pregnant woman, or if we should go ahead and do it!
Any advice, especially from women who have been to Mount Koya and been pregnant (not necessarily at the same time) is much appreciated.
9 comments
Highly recommend consulting with your doctor on this. Generally, as long as an activity isn’t causing you pain, you’re good. I had a friend do the Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs to force induce labor at 9 months… it didn’t work. She was a very active person before and during pregnancy. Again though, talk to your doctor.
Congratulations on your pregnancy!!!
If you’re thinking of going around Koyasan and walking around Okunoin Cemetery and such i think you’ll be fine as its mostly flat. I would suggest that you let the temple you will be staying that you are pregnant just in case so they’ll know if you have restrictions as I think all temples only offer vegetarian meals. Buses are available as well so that will help. It’s a small town so i walked everywhere (granted i wasn’t pregnant at that time but i was there before the country shut down). Though keep in mind that traveling can be exhausting so it will be up to you if its something you would want to push through given your condition. But atleast Japan has tons public toilets so there’s that!
If you’re a fairly active person already, it’s good to stay active while you are pregnant. If you are not, I’d probably advise against it. You will put too much strain on your body. Since you have time until then, make sure to walk everyday, as you should. Definitely always check with your doctor, they know you best and would be able to give you the best recommendation based on your health and how your pregnancy is progressing.
I would say don’t do it.
Mount Koya should not be especially strenuous. From Reihokan museum to Okunoin cemetery, it’s 2.7km with about 50m variation up an down, so it’s fairly flat. Yes it can be a lot of walking, but luckily there is local bus. You might just want to check the schedule and route to be sure you can get on a bus if it’s getting too much.
Obviously, it’s a different story if you want to go for a more serious hike.
In general, it should not be worst than somwehere else in Japan, just to give you an example, if you have a day in Higashiyama in Kyoto and decide to walk from Gion to Kiyomizu-dera, it’s 1.9 km and will be about 70m up and down, it is not too bad, but the area around ninenzaka is a bit steep. So for that, Mount Koya would likely not be much worst than most places around Japan. However, there is place like Monkey park in Arashiyama is likely a no go, it’s just 750 m from the bridge, but go up by 121 m.
Keep in mind that traveling to Japan often mean walking a lot anyway, so you might have to tone down how much you can do daily compared to the average traveler.
I personally do not think that Mount Koya is much more concerning than other area of Japan. Just keep in mind it will be a 2h – 2h30 train ride from central Osaka to Mount Koya and at the temple you will likely sleep on futon, so if you need a super soft bed, then it might not be the most suitable.
Depends what you do at Mount Koya, walking around the town of temples and Okunoin are not any more strenuous than it would be walking around in the cities. If you were planning to hike then that’s another question
I’ll chime in, I’m *assuming* you mean that you are staying in Koyasan, not that you are planning to do adventure hiking or anything. I think seeing and staying Koyasan won’t pose any problems in the slightest. It’s actually an easier place to walk than a lot of other tourist destinations in Japan. From the main Koyasan station there are buses that go the length of the long and narrow town. So you will most likely be able to get to your accommodation with a minimum of walking. Pretty much all the sights like the cemetery and other temples just involve walking on paths, and only a little bit of elevation gain at points. If you’re still working out your itinerary and have a longer trip, I often recommend two nights in Koyasan to give yourself more time to soak it in, particularly because it’s a bit of a trek in and out transportation-wise. My partner and I did one night in a temple, then one night in a local mom-and-pop hotel.
6 months is the golden period of pregnancy! You are not too big to move around yet and your morning sickness days are over. Your energy level is usually high at 6 months. As long as you stay active during your pregnancy, a hike is no issue. Do it before you go into baby jail for the next 2-3 years 🙃
If you mean by ‘walking around’ is walking within the town, then it should be really easy. The trails around the mountains I can’t say. Just bring grippy shoes because you might be walking through mossy or dewy parts while going through the cemetery and temple complex.
How are you at waking up early or staying up late? When I went there, the highlight of my visit was getting up real early to experience the morning prayers in Okunoin temple (the hinoki? sandalwood? sawdust they use for purification on entering the temple smells SO NICE) , then walking around the grounds and cemetery afterwards. It took me a day to leisurely mosey from Okunoin to the Daimon gate through the cemetery then via the main town road, taking my time across all the sites and museums along the way.
I haven’t tried the night tour but people say it’s incredible. Bring a headlamp just in case.