Less visited Zen temples and Zen gardens in Kyoto
This tour begins with Zen and ends with Zen. The spirits of Zen will heal your mind.
If you have visited the most visited temples and shrine in Kyoto and wants to visit quieter and less visited ones, consider this tour as an option. Choose two of the areas that interest you and let me know. I will customize a tour for you. Please be noted that we will not have enough time to visit all of the temples listed here in a day.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
TBD (at your hotel)
Ichijo-ji Area
Ichijo-ji is a calm area at the foot of a mountain where war lords and aristocrats set up villas after the 16th century, and it is a place where you can spend a quiet time away from the hustle and bustle. Recently, it is also famous for ramen as well.
@Shisen-do
This is a Zen temple built in the 17th century by a high-ranking samurai. This temple is very well known for its white sand garden with a stream and flowers of the season. JPY700
@Enko-ji
This temple was build by the 1st Tokugawa Shogun as a Zen school.
This temple is very well known for its dry landscape garden and moss garden. JPY500
@Manshu-in
This MONZEKI temple dates back to the 8th century. MONZEKI is prestigious temple where the Imperial family member served as a head priest. JPY600
Higashiyama Area
@Konchi-in
This Zen temple was established in the 11th century and had been supported by Tokugawa shoguns after the 17th century. JPY500
@Tenju-an
This temple is famous for its dry landscape garden with diamond-shaped stones bordered by moss across a white sand garden. JPY500
@The Nanzen-ji Garden
This is Japan’s first Zen temple established by the Imperial order and was considered to be a temple “on top of the five Zen temples in Kyoto. JPY600
Daitoku-ji Area
Daitoku-ji is a Zen temple located in northern part of Kyoto city. It was established in 1325 and its Gotama Buddha is its main buddha. Stand on the premise are the temple complex centered by the Buddha’s Hall and twenty sub- temples. It is deeply connected to the tea ceremony and had a great influence on Japanese culture. As this temple is not open for public, we will visit four of the sub-temples which are open for public.
@Daisen-ji
This Zen temple established in 1509 and is the head of the sub-temples of Daitoku-ji. The main hall is the oldest Hojo building in Japan and is designated as a national treasure. The dry landscape garden here is designated as a special place of scenic beauty . JPY500
@Ryugen-in
This temple was established by war lords in 1502. Main gates are original from its foundation and are the oldest buildings in Daitokuji.
This temple is also very well-known for its stone garden. JPY350
@Zuihou-in
This Zen temple was established by a Christian war lord in 1535. This temple has a garden that resembles a cross made of seven stones. JPY400
Myoshin-ji Area
Myoshin-ji which was built by an emperor in 1340 is the biggest Zen temple in Japan. This is the head temple of the 3,350 Myoshi-ji Zen temples throughout of Japan. Many Buddhism building like the gate, the hall and the pagoda are lined up in the large temple complex.
@Taizo-in
This Zen temple established in 1404 is very well-known for its gardens. In the dry landscape garden, big rocks are boldly assembled to express waterfalls, Buddhism sacred mountains and islands, and a bridge. JPY600
@Daishin-in
This 1479 built Zen temple is famous for its "Aun Garden". It is a relaxing garden with white sand, moss, and rocks centered on the rocks which represent the Three Buddhas. JPY300
@Keishun-in
This temple has four Zen gardens which were built in the 17th century and each garden has different meaning. JPY400
Gion Area
@Kennin-ji
This temple was built in 1202 by the priest who brought Zen to Japan and has been the center of Zen in Japan.
Macha was also brought to Japan by the same priest who built this temple. That is why there are many tea trees here.
Furthermore, this temple is also known for its Zen gardens and Dragon paintings.
@Kodai-ji
This Zen temple was established by the wife of Toyotomi Hideyoshi after his death to pray for his spirit. Asides from the Zen garden, there is a Pureland Garden and small Bamboo Forest.
Ending Point
TBD
Want to personalize this tour?
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This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
guide fee
Insurance
Transportation fare, entrance fees and lunch (you and guide),,
Ask for details
Tour Important Information
As this is aTRAIN and WALKING tour, comfortable shoes are recommended.
Tours are NOT covered by insurance.
Transportation fare, entrance fees and lunch for guests and guide are NOT included. Ask for details.
Direct payment will be occurred in CASH on the spot on the day of the tour.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
About Tour Guide Hiroyuki T.
Hi!
I had been working for Wakayama Prefectural Government for 38 years, mainly in the field of cultural heritage management and international relations. I am a national certificated English guide and I have a lot of knowledge and experience in the field of cultural heritage management and international relations.
I am very good at cultural heritages.
And Koyasan and Kumano in Wakayama Prefecture are inscribed in the World Heritage List as parts of “Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Routes in the Kii Mountain Range". I was a project manager of "the Koyasan and Kumano World Heritage Inscription Project” at Wakayama Prefectural Government. I know inside and out of Koyasan, Kumano, Wakayama and other places in the Kansai area.
I have a lot of experience of guiding as I was also in charge of international relations for a long time at the government.
I will be able to provide interpretive guiding service for you around Koyasan, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka and other places as I was a cultural heritage management and international relations professional.
I am sure you will be able to get deeper understandings on Japanese culture and that your trip with me will be memorable one.
If you need a good guide in the Tokyo area, I have a friend on GoWithGuide I can recommend you!
Reviews
Planet V.
“Great experience”
Hiro was a great guide for our group. He is very knowledgeable about Mt. Koya, he shared many interesting details and information and answered all of our questions. His English is also very good. During the booking process he was also very accommodating and helpful. Overall, it was a great experience!
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Hiroyuki T.
Thank you very much for your kind message. It was really nice meeting you and your group. It was a little hustle but I hope that you enjoy the Koyasan tour. I also hope that you enjoy Nara, Kyoto and other places in Japan. I will be looking forward to seeing you again in April. Hiro
Joann T.
“A great tour of Osaka”
For this tour, we visited Umeda Sky Building, Osaka Castle, and Shitennoji temple as per my request. Hiroyuki-san speaks very good English and ran the tour in a professional and friendly manner. He knows his way around Osaka well and is able to navigate the city subway system and streets very efficiently. He was articulate and knowledgeable, giving good background and historical explanations for all of the locations we visited. He also pointed out the best places to take photos and found several good options for lunch. I appreciated him adapting the tour to accommodate for my sore knee that day. There was a lot of walking, but the tour kept a comfortable pace. It was an enjoyable day. Osaka is a big city where you could easily get lost, so I highly recommend a tour like this. Thank-you Hiroyuki-san!
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Hiroyuki T.
Thank you very much for kind message. I hope that you liked both Wakayama tour and Osaka tour. I am sorry that I made you walk a lot. Are your knees good now? I also hope that you keep in touch with your relatives in Japan. Hiro
Joann T.
“This was a unique and very memorable tour.”
This tour was just amazing and I highly recommend Hiroyuki-san as a guide. Based on what information I had, Hiroyuki-san was able to track down my relatives. He then contacted them in a tactful and professional manner to see if they were interested in meeting me. They were, so he arranged for us to meet, handling numerous back-and-forth messages between me and the relatives beforehand. On the tour day he went with me to countryside, where my relatives are located. I had the opportunity to do a cemetery visit, and then spent some time chatting with my newfound family members. Hiroyuki-san patiently served as translator as my relatives and I learned about each other. He also helped to draw out a family tree for me. It was a very pleasant meeting. I never thought I would have the opportunity to meet any of my relatives in Japan, so it was an incredible experience that I will remember forever. Thank you so much, Hiroyuki-san!
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Hiroyuki T.
You were happy. The T family was happy. I-san was happy. Obasan was happy. Your ancestors at the graves were happy Everybody was happy. I did a good job, I am happy!
$286/ per group
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