Koyasan: which temple has the best food?

Hi,

I'm headed to Japan in late Feb, and am planning to spend a day in Koyasan. The temples on top of my list right now are Ekoin, Shojoshin-in, and Muryoko-in.

Does anyone know:
1. Which of the above temples serve the best food?
2. Is there some other temple you would recommend above the three above?
3. Is a one-night stay sufficient to see Koyasan, or would it be too rushed?

Any other tips/advice are very welcome too. Thanks!

I cannot speak to the quality of the food for the other temples, since I only stayed at Shojoshin-in during my visit, and the food there was excellent. I had read somewhere on a forum that most or all the temples serve similar meals to tourists who stay, I have no idea if this is true or not, but I imagine the quality would be about the same amongst the most popular temples. You can easily stay for one night, if you arrive in the morning and take time to visit the area, including the cemetary, which I recommend seeing at night as well. You can also extend your exploring to include the next day, after you check out of the temple, if you are not in a rush to leave. I stayed for two nights and was satisfied with that amount of time to explore, though one day would have worked out fine and would have been much easier on my budget.

I stayed at Muryokoin last April for two nights. The food was fine but I can't compare it to any other temple. The morning service at Muryokin was quite interesting and extensive - they do the fire ceremony. Since I traveled there from Miyajima and went on to Tokyo the two nights worked out well for me. I had part of the first day and all of the second to sightsee. I left early in the morning to catch the train. I hope your enjoy your visit wherever you stay.

I am not certain at Mt. Koya but the shojin ryori there is catered in to the shukubo. So it should be similar. The monks don't cook.
It was this way at DaishinIn Zen temple shukubo in Kyoto but it was the most delicious vege. meal we had any where in Japan. I have had many.

i stayed at Shojoshin-in last year ... the whole experience was very nice including the food. i must note that the television and telephone in the room was off-putting as i was hoping for and expecting a very simple japanese room and what i found was quite modern. the food was beautifully presented and yum to eat.