Hone your spiritual side at a Soto Zen training temple used to instruct monks
2 hour private experience
Location: Niigata City
Offered in Japanese, with a friendly Deeper Japan guide interpreting in your language
A minimum of 2 guests is required to book. Solo participants are welcome but will be charged the 2-person rate
Meet the Master
What you’ll do
Visit one of the Soto Zen Buddhism's former training temples, once off-limits to non-practitioners. Guided by the head monk, practice zazen meditation in the monk's training room. Explore the temple grounds together with the monk and learn more about the temple's history. As an add, experience shojin ryori with the monks, a type of Buddhist vegan cuisine as you immerse deeply into spirituality on this Niigata retreat.
Availability
Monday to Friday
Session 1 (09:00 - 11:00)
Session 2 (13:30 - 15:30)
Session 3 (15:30 - 17:30)
Who can attend
Children must be 10+
What to wear
Comfortable clothing suitable for meditation
Access
25 minutes by car from Niigata Station
Training the Spirit
Surrounded by fertile rice fields on the outskirts of Niigata City, a temple lies hidden, shrouded in a sparse grove of trees. Once one of the Soto Zen school’s exclusive training temples, the temple was a spiritual spot where religious hopefuls dedicated every hour of the day to cultivating devotion. Monks-in-training lived in near-total silence, engaging in zazen meditation, ritual meals, communal bathing, and the rigorous routines of monastic life. These hallowed grounds were long closed to outsiders; however, as Soto training became more centralized at the Fukui head temple, restrictions in this Niigata training temple slowly eased. Today, select visitors can step inside this prestigious temple, walking the same halls where up to 30 monks at a time once pursued spiritual discipline. Guided by the temple’s 33rd head priest—who himself left a career as a Hokkaido salaryman to embrace monastic life, inspired by his mother’s devout decision to become a Soto monk in her late 60s— immerse yourself in silence, mindfulness, and the timeless rhythm of Zen practice, from zazen meditation to mindful being.
Cancellation Policy
Please make your booking at least 7 days in advance. See cancellation policy here.
A detailed itinerary will be emailed to you once your booking has been confirmed.