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Stone steps through cedars to the hall

Seirin-ji Zen TempleSample

A Zen temple in a grove of cedars, where you can join morning zazen and copy a sutra.

This is a sample page. Seirin-ji Zen Temple is a fictional place, and every detail on this page is a sample setting.

How to enjoy it

Zazen begins not with sitting perfectly but with counting your breath. The priest shows first-timers how to sit. Walk the grounds afterwards and notice how much more you hear and smell.

Contents

What to see and do here

Meditation cushions in the main hall

Zazen in the main hall

Two rounds of zazen in the main hall with the priest, followed by tea and a short talk. The early session is the quietest.

How to enjoy it

Loose clothes make sitting easier. Keep your eyes half open and rest your gaze on the floor about a metre ahead.

Price
  • Per person¥1,000（tea included）
Conditions
Age 6 and up
Duration
About 60 min
Session times
7:00 / 10:30 / 13:30
Dates
Daily (except memorial-service days)
Capacity
15 per session
Minimum group
1 person
Meeting place
In front of the main hall
Meeting time
10 minutes before each session
Guide languages
Japanese, English

The booking site works in Japanese and English.

Phone 0551-00-8010

Book by By 17:00 the day before　Cancellation Free until the day before; 100% on the day

Sutra paper and a brush

Sutra copying in the main hall

Trace the Heart Sutra character by character with a brush. Leave it at the temple or take it home.

How to enjoy it

Neat handwriting does not matter. Pause for a breath after each character and feel your mind settle.

Price
  • Per person¥1,500（brush and paper included）
Duration
About 60 min
Session times
10:00–16:00 (start any time)
Dates
Daily (except memorial-service days)
Capacity
10 people
Minimum group
1 person
Meeting place
Temple office
Guide languages
Japanese

The booking site works in Japanese and English.

Phone 0551-00-8010

Book by By 17:00 the day before　Cancellation Free until the day before; 100% on the day

A mossy stone lantern

Cedar-lined approach

Stone steps climb from the gate to the main hall between tall cedars, past mossy stone lanterns.

How to enjoy it

Stop halfway up the steps and look up. Light through the cedar tops changes through the day.

Price
  • Free
Session times
8:00–17:00
Booking
Not needed (just walk in during opening hours)

Hours

Grounds8:00–17:00

Closed

Open daily (no sessions on memorial-service days)

NotesCall ahead to check for memorial services

Contact

0551-00-8010

Answered 9:00–16:00

Grounds8:00〜17:00
Zazen in the main hall7:00〜14:30
Sutra copying in the main hall10:00〜16:00
Cedar-lined approach8:00〜17:00

Location and access

Address
Nagasaka, Hokuto, Yamanashi (sample address)
Phone
0551-00-8010
Nearest expressway exit
Nagasaka IC
By car from the exit
about 8 min
Nearest station
Nagasaka Station (JR Chuo Line)
By car from the station
about 6 min
Parking
Yes (free, 10 cars)
Shuttle
None
Clear Streams& Mt. KaikomaHakushu, Mukawa Southern YatsugatakeHighlandsKobuchisawa, Nagasaka,Oizumi, Takane Sun, Mt. Kayagatake& Mt. MizugakiSutama, Akeno Kobuchisawa Sta. Kiyosato Sta. Hinoharu Sta. Nagasaka Sta. Sutama IC Nagasaka IC Kobuchisawa IC Here

Payment

CashAccepted

Credit cardsVISA, Mastercard, JCB, American Express

E-moneyTransit IC cards, iD, QUICPay

QR code paymentPayPay, Rakuten Pay, d Barai

Facilities and services

Languages
Japanese / English
English menu and guidance
English guidance on some days (ask when booking)
Wi-Fi
No
Children
Sessions from age 6
Group size
Up to 15 people
Accessibility
Partly (steps up to the main hall)
Accessible toilet
No
On rainy days
Zazen and sutra copying take place inside the main hall

Tours that include this place

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Yatsugatake Little MuseumSample

A small museum of woodblock prints of the mountains.

Tip

With only three rooms, you can take each print slowly. In the room that sets the same mountain across the seasons, look at how the layers of color change. Afterwards, compare the prints with the real mountains outside the window.

Good forRainy daysQuiet time

Price guide
Adults ¥800, free for high-school age and under. Print-making ¥2,000 per person (booking required)
Languages
Japanese / English
Closed
Tuesdays (the next day if a holiday), 28 Dec–4 Jan

No booking needed

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Walk a hilltop garden of artists’ studios.

Tip

Artists may be at work in their studios. An open door means you are welcome, so say hello before you look in. The garden path takes about 20 minutes and its benches face the mountains.

Good forQuiet timeFamilies with children

Price guide
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Languages
Japanese
Closed
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Book online

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Taru-no-Ma Brewery DiningSample

Fermented dishes made with the brewery’s koji and sake lees.

Tip

Taru-no-Ma is run by a post-town sake brewery. The koji and lees in the food come from the brewery next door. If you don’t drink, follow the brewery’s flavours through amazake and its brewing water.

Good forDrink loversRainy daysHistory lovers

Price guide
Lunch ¥1,800–2,400
Languages
Japanese
Closed
Tuesdays (next day if a holiday), New Year

Book online

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See · Hakushu

Daigahara-juku (Edo post town)

Walk an Edo-period post town on the old Koshu Highway.

Tip

Step onto the old road that runs beside today’s highway and walk slowly. Look at the eaves and the storehouses, and you can picture the bustle of travellers passing through.

Good forHistory lovers

Price guide
Free
Closed
Open all year

No booking needed