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Zenkoji Temple Tour: Fire Ceremony & Sake Tasting
5.0
5 Ratings
Nagano
This half-day group tour offers guests an engaging and intimate exploration of Nagano’s nearly 1,400-year-old Zenkoji temple. The tour includes a guided experience, a distinctive fire ceremony at the temple, a traditional tea ceremony, sampling of local dumplings, and even a ‘sake’ tasting.
This half-day group tour offers guests an engaging and intimate exploration of Nagano’s nearly 1,400-year-old Zenkoji temple. The tour includes a guided experience, a distinctive fire ceremony at the temple, a traditional tea ceremony, sampling of local dumplings, and even a ‘sake’ tasting.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Saiko-ji Temple - Dedicated to Jurojin, one of Japan’s ‘shichifukujin’ or ‘7 Lucky Gods’, Saiko-ji is the perfect starting point for exploring Nagano. This temple town is renowned for its traditional food culture and the longevity it promotes. Jurojin, associated with long life, will guide you to your next destination and the first delicious treat…
- Saiko-ji Temple - Dedicated to Jurojin, one of Japan’s ‘shichifukujin’ or ‘7 Lucky Gods’, Saiko-ji is the perfect starting point for exploring Nagano. This temple town is renowned for its traditional food culture and the longevity it promotes. Jurojin, associated with long life, will guide you to your next destination and the first delicious treat of the tour – ‘oyaki’.
- Ogawanoshodaimonten - ‘Oyaki’ dumplings are crafted from fermented buckwheat dough and rice powder, filled with a variety of vegetables, fruits, or ‘anko’ bean paste. They are simple, healthy, and delicious. This is followed by a sake tasting experience at Imanishiki Sake Brewery.
- Zenko-ji Temple - Just a short walk from the brewery, embark on a guided tour of Zenkoji Temple. Your guide will share its rich history and secrets, while also explaining the role of Buddhism in Japan in an engaging and enjoyable manner as you proceed to the site of the ‘goma’ prayer fire ceremony.
- Shinshu Zenkoji Hombo Daikanjin Temple - The burning of prayers in the sacred flame infuses the experience with profound spirituality and often helps participants release their immediate, worldly concerns. Whether you are a practicing Buddhist or simply seeking a memorable and meaningful experience in Japan, the ‘goma’ prayer will leave a deep and lasting impression.
What's Included
- Guided tour of Zenkoji and ‘goma’ prayer fire ceremony
- Tea ceremony experience
- ‘Sake’ tasting
- Simple lunch of two oyaki
- English-speaking guide
- Guided tour of Zenkoji and ‘goma’ prayer fire ceremony
- Tea ceremony experience
- ‘Sake’ tasting
- Simple lunch of two oyaki
- English-speaking guide
What's Not Included
- Transport fees inc. Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ to/from Nagano City
- Additional food, snacks & drinks
- Transport fees inc. Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ to/from Nagano City
- Additional food, snacks & drinks
Location
Nagano Station
The meetup point is inside Nagano Station in front of the information aboard right across the Shinkansen exit gates
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(5 Ratings)
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Barborao492
Jun 1, 2025
Best tour of our 18 day Japan trip! - We had a great time at the Zenko-ji full day tea ceremony tour with Joyce! She was friendly, knowledgeable, and attentive and made our experience super unique. The day started with a walk through town where we talked a bit about the history of Matsumoto before stopping at a couple local shops. We had tasty oyaki at a place we would NOT have found on our own; tried new local sake with Joyce expertly answering our questions on the production process; learned about the Zenko-ji temple's history and got some tips on how to enjoy it more fully; and then finally ended the day with a beautifully intimate tea ceremony with a absolutely adorable husband and wife couple. Joyce served as interpreter, local expert, and just a fun all-around companion for the day. Would highly recommend this tour and the Snow Monkey company as they clearly go above and beyond in planning tours that are sure to be unique and memorable.
We had a group tour but we were the only ones booked for that rainy Wednesday so that definitely helped make the experience more personalized but I think even with a small group, it would have been a great and unique experience. Totally worth the money and time!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Q9593xeanng
Mar 2, 2025
Tea and temple tour - Such a fun tour!! Joyce, our guide, was so knowledgeable and thoughtful with terrific language skills. The highlight was the tea ceremony. We all got to make a cup of matcha while learning the process. The couple who taught the ceremony were awesome! Also loved the fire-making ceremony at the temple. The whole experience was a great way to tap into the rich culture of Japan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
186aliciar
Jan 21, 2025
Do it! It's a wonderful tour 😁 - This tour is amazing! Joyce is a great guide (and tour designer) 😁 She had so much information to share historically and locally. The tour itself includes quite a few stops and different activities, and they are all beautifully timed so nothing feels rushed. The places themselves were gorgeous, the buddhist ceremony was a unique experience, and the tea ceremony was even better than we expected because they taught us the basics and answered all our questions with great enthusiasm. Yuki-san and her husband are wonderful hosts and we are planning on going back to their restaurant (Tsumugi) in a few days. Thank you, Joyce! Thanks, Nagano!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Benpl2087wf
Dec 30, 2024
A spectacular day with a fantastic guide. - Had a fantastic day with Dai, he was friendly, easy to chat with and extremely knowledgeable on the temples, Nagano, Buddhism, sake and much more about Japan that we chatted about.
The temple was beautiful, and being toured around it gave each statue and point of interest context. Our dumplings were delicious (I highly recommend picking up the apple ones) and the sake taster absolutely eye opening.
The highlight though was the fire ceremony, for which our names were supplied and the entire ceremony felt both magical and spectacular.
I most highly recommend doing this tour, you won't regret it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Adelokey
Dec 22, 2024
Amazing Zenkoji and Tea Ceremony experience - I highly recommend the tour! The most memorable experience for me was the tea ceremony conducted by Yuki-san and of course visiting Zenkoji! My guide Joyce went above and beyond, making sure I was well looked after during the tour. Joyce is truly a passionate and enthusiastic guide! I had tons of questions during the tea ceremony and sake tasting and she was so patient to answer them or asked the hosts for me. So grateful to have had Joyce as my guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
