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View all Kyoto tours【Kyoto】Zazen Meditation and Tea Ceremony at Joju-ji Temple by Local Operator
2-hour tour in Kyoto, including English-speaking guide and interpretation and Zazen meditation instruction by the chief monk. Run by Denei Japan tour, booked direct rather than through a reseller.
Highlights
- Runs 2 hours
- English-speaking guide and interpretation
- Zazen meditation instruction by the chief monk
- Two zazen meditation sessions inside the main hall
- Q&A time with the head priest
- Sencha tea ceremony
【Kyoto】Zazen Meditation and Tea Ceremony at Joju-ji Temple by Local Operator: Key Facts
| Price | From $150.5 per person |
|---|---|
| Duration | 2 hours |
| Languages | English |
| Tour type | Guided Tour |
| Booking | Direct with the local operator — no OTA markup |
Full description
This is a 2-hour experience in Kyoto. It is run by Denei Japan tour, an operator we book with directly rather than through a reseller, which is why we can hold your place with them before we treat your booking as final.
Gion is Kyoto's historic entertainment district, the streets of wooden machiya houses around Hanamikoji where the geiko and maiko of the Gion Kobu district still work. They are working professionals on their way to engagements, not performers for the street, and Kyoto has banned photography in the private lanes; an evening walk with a guide who explains the ochaya system is the respectful way to see it. Tea ceremony sessions in Gion teach the basic form of matcha preparation in an hour. Kimono rental for a day, with dressing and hair, is an established business around the district and is welcomed rather than resented.
The price covers guide and interpretation, Zazen meditation instruction by the chief monk, Two zazen meditation sessions inside the main hall, Q&A time with the head priest and Sencha tea ceremony. It does not cover Hotel pickup and drop-off and Transportation to the meeting point, so budget for those separately. Everything included is listed in full on this page; if something is not on that list, assume it is not in the price.
Denei Japan tour sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed. We need at least one day's notice, and we confirm the date with Denei Japan tour before treating your booking as final. If they cannot take your date we tell you and refund you rather than leave you waiting.
Includes
- English-speaking guide and interpretation
- Zazen meditation instruction by the chief monk
- Two zazen meditation sessions inside the main hall
- Q&A time with the head priest
- Sencha tea ceremony
- Seasonal Japanese tea and sweets
Excludes
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation to the meeting point
Important information
Meeting point
Denei Japan tour sends the meeting point and time by email as soon as the booking is confirmed.
Know before you go
- Free cancellation available up to 24 hours before the activity starts
About this activity
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Traveler Reviews
Amazing experience! Loved it from start to finish. The meditation was a very powerful and authentic experience and the tea ceremony was beautiful. The guides were very helpful and explained everything and ensured comfort the whole time. Would highly recommend!
We really enjoyed this experience! It was very intimate in a beautiful setting and the photographer took a lot of amazing shots that we will be able to look back on and cherish. We got to have a lot of Q&A with the monk and they have a human translator present through the entire time to make communication easier. The tea ceremony was very nice and we even got a chance to do it ourselves after with their guidance! The staff was very friendly and easy to talk to. The area this is located in is very far from tourists and there is another local temple in a small bamboo forest nearby we were able t
Incredible intimate activity. The guides were very kind and let you ask a ton of questions, even letting you try to serve the tea afterwards! Lasted 2h45, but they let us stay and look around once the main activities were done. Best activity we did a whole month of travelling
A truly peaceful and enriching experience. The guides were very friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere was calm with a very nice garden.
Such a great experience. Everyone was so lovely and took the time to answer any questions that we had. Will absolutely recommend this to anyone going to Kyoto.
Oh gosh. Truly one of our highlights of our entire Japan trip. In Kyoto you are battling crowds to see the main sights and this is the total opposite. With just 8 people in our group the zen meditation was an excellent reset and a real immersion into Zen Buddhism. The monk and local guides were so gracious and the tea ceremony was just mesmerizing. Don’t hesitate on this one, just book it. I do recommend taking a cab out to the location and back, it’s worth the ease.
This was an exceptional experience, so much better than a tea ceremony from a tourist-trap set up. This was a real ceremony by real Zen monks in a real Zen temple. We were led in two rounds of Zazen meditation with the chief monk, shown around the beautiful temple gardens - which were blissful - and the ceremony itself was full of depth and meaning. It made me want to join as a Zen monk! Took my 14 year old step son and he loved it, he wanted to join up too! Some additional pillows would be good for those of us less flexible when doing the cross-legged bits! Highly recommended, beautiful exper
Easily one of the greatest things we did on our trip to Japan. The meditation and tea ceremony were such an authentic experience that they didn't feel like a booked tour at all. We were so grateful that we were able to experience this. An absolute recommendation.
Lovely way to learn about and experience Zen Buddhism. The guides were very informative and the monk was very happy to share his insights and experience in a beautiful setting! Some amazing photos were an added bonus.
What a wonderful experience with a wonderful team. Highly recommend!
Very authentic experience that made our stay in Kyoto truly special. Everyone involved was very friendly and genuinely happy to share this experience with us.
We had an unforgettable experience at the beautiful Joju-in temple today. The zazen meditation and tea ceremony took place in a cozy, private setting, making it feel even more special. After our zazen session, the monk took the time to engage with us, answering all our questions and sharing his insights. The tea ceremony was equally impressive; we were shown each step in detail and even got to try it ourselves, which added a personal touch. The entire team on site was incredibly friendly and made us feel welcome throughout our visit. We had so much fun together and can’t recommend this experie