Things to do
here.

ZAZEN

Zazen

A quiet time to sit in the main hall. The vice abbot teaches you how to settle your breathing, so even beginners are welcome.

• Main hall (guest room on days of memorial services)

SHAKYO

Sutra copying

Copy a sutra one character at a time with a brush. When you finish, chant the sutra in the main hall, then choose whether to dedicate your copy to the temple or take it home.

• Guest hall or main hall

MORNING SERVICE

Morning service

Begin the day to the sound of chanting echoing through the main hall. This time is open only to guests staying overnight.

• From 7:00
• The morning of day 2 for a 1-night stay
• For 2 nights or more, by request from the 2nd night

SAMUE

Spend your stay in samue

We have samue by mont-bell ready for you: traditional Japanese work clothes with the functions of outdoor wear added, easy to move in.

• Sizes M and L
• Rental

PIZZA OVEN

Bake pizza in a wood-fired oven

Feed wood into the dome-shaped pizza oven in the garden and bake your pizza. The tools, such as a pizza screen, a peel and heat-resistant gloves, are all provided.

• Firewood included (more available)
• Bring your own ingredients

BBQ

BBQ in the temple grounds

You can have a barbecue in the garden in front of the house. A BBQ set of Joshu beef, the local brand beef, can be arranged on request in advance.

• Charcoal included
• 🐾 Dogs welcome too
• BBQ set: up to 1 week before check-in

BONFIRE

Gather around a fire

Light a small fire in the night garden with the fire pit. Firewood for the bonfire is arranged separately.

• Fire pit
• Firewood sold separately

DONUTS

◯△□ Donuts

Donuts made in Chiyoda, shaped like the ZENSŌ mark. They go well with coffee roasted in the same town.

• Up to 3 days before check-in

LOCAL SAKE

Chiyoda’s local sake

Enjoy sake from the town’s brewery in the house. Choose between “Tonegawa Sodachi,” a crisp junmai ginjo, and “Kōtō,” a traditional, slightly sweet sake.

• Up to 3 days before check-in

COFFEE

Grind the beans, savor the cup

In the kitchen of the house we keep beans from HIRAKU, the coffee shop in town, along with a hand mill and a dripper. Choose from three kinds to suit your mood.

AKAIWA FERRY

Cross the Tone River by ferry

A rare kind of crossing today, running since the Sengoku period. The ferry takes you from Akaiwa in Chiyoda across the Tone River to Kuzuwada in Kumagaya, Saitama, on the opposite bank. Enjoy sunlight glittering on the widest stretch of river in Japan.

• Free
• Summer 8:30–17:00
• Winter 8:30–16:30

CYCLING

Ride around town

We lend electric-assist bicycles and mountain bikes. Try riding along the Tone River embankment and the roads through the countryside.

• Helmets provided
• Registered for theft protection

HIRAKU COFFEE

To the coffee shop in town

A coffee shop with its own roastery, opened by a couple who toured more than 500 coffee shops in Japan and abroad. About 5 minutes by car.

WORKATION

Work, at a temple

There is a workspace converted from a closet, with Wi-Fi too. A stay focused on work at a quiet temple is also recommended.

• Wi-Fi
• Work desk