Why don't you add one day from Wakayama city( or Kansai airport) to Koyasan. There are many historic sites on this route. Wakayama has one of the longest history in Japan and well reserved.
Wakayama station
Kii-Fudoki no oka, more than 400 tomb mounds on a hill. There are very similar tomb mounds hills in southern Korean peninsula.
Negoro temple, the Shingon Buddhism temple very similar to Koyasan.
Kokubunji temple remain. Only one building built in Edo era and many foundations of big buildings are remain.
Jison-in temple and Nyu-Kanshofu shrine, the world heritage site. This temple is called
Sanada-an, the house arrest temple for the rebel Sanada clan. Sanad sided to Toyotomi at the latest civil war, so Tokugawa Ieyasu confined Sanada here.
Nyutsuhime shrine, the world heritage site. Origin is very old and unclear. There had been tight relation with Koyasan.
Koyasan
Nation building began in the fourth century and completed beginning of the seventeenth century by Tokugawa Ieyasu. These spots cover all of this period. Koyasan is very popular and you can get many information, so you can learn yourself. And Koyasan is a compact region and public transportation is well established. But it is difficult to find information about these region and also access is not easy.
You can learn about one thousand years history below.
Kii-Fudoki no oka : around sixth century
Kokubunji temple: eighth century
Nyutsuhime shrine: unknown
Jison-in temple and Nyu-Kanshofu shrine: nineth century
Negoro temple: developed gradually since 1090
Sanada-an: after 1600, the war at Sekigahara
Both Negoro and Koyasan are "Shingon sect" Buddhism temple. So there are many similarity but Negoro had monastery army, involved war and was burned down completely, otherwise Koyasan was religious and survived. Before visit Koyasan, visiting Negoro is precious experience.
guide fee, hotel pick-up in Wakayama and southern Osaka area
transportation fee (about _JPY1200 ), lunch, entrance fee
( none but learning Japanese history hepls understanding these sites)
Yasuo is very good guide who puts a lot of effort into planning a trip and offers different options.
Thank you very much for your excellent evaluation. I also enjoyed much, that you have deep understanding about Japanese culture and history.
We had an amazing time w/ Yasuo. He picked us up promptly @ 8am from our hotel and took us to many amazing sights. We had wanted to visit Nachi Falls so Yasuo made many great suggestions to accompany that excursion to fill our day. He gave us lots of info and snacks along the way. Def recommend to anyone exploring the area! Will request him again in the future. ありがとございました、やすおさん！
Thank you very much for amazing review. I’m sorry I was disappointed missing for bathing in the riverbed hot spring at Kawayu Onsen. つぎに たのしみましょう！
Yasuo is very helpful and knows the places very well. He took us to see many scenic places and we enjoyed the places he picked for us to have picnic lunch on both days.
Thank you very much for your review. I also enjoyed with you. I’m very proud of Wakayama with great scenic and historical resources. I’m sorry and disappointed the collapse of car road to “Hyakken-Gura”.
Yasuo is a very good guide who really knows the area very well. We w ent to several interesting places and towns in addition to the major shrines. Although his English speaking is not very good, his understanding is much better. He understood us and made the tour very good., particularly since we had.done a lot of advance research on this area and did not require much more explanation. Other English speaking tourists might not be as satisfied with his level of English. He is a very smart and nice person. Contact me if you would like additional information.
Thank you for your exceeding evaluation for me. I was encouraged by your massage. I will learn English hard. Thank you and have a good trip.