Chubu? Temple stay ?

This temple is located in the mountains a short distance from the town of Takayama, which is called little Kyoto in Hida and is famous for its old and beautiful scenery. This Shukubo is not operated as a lodging business but as a Buddhist accommodation.

This temple appeared with the name of Manpuku-ji in a famous novel, Yoakemae (Before Dawn) written by Toson Shimazaki , a prestigious international novelist.The guest rooms consist of two sections, two four and half tatami mat spaces. I ate shojin vegetarian cuisine. At night, I received instruction on zazen.

This lodging is a shukubo of Zenko-ji temple and it has a good reputation for its special shojin vegetarian dishes. You will be guided to worship at Zenko-ji temple in the morning and participate in the grateful receiving of the juzu rosary in front of the main hall.

This shukubo is the former Tokuzenin of Togakushi Shrine. It has a beautiful thatched roof noted as a Japanese cultural asset. This shukubo is famous for Togakushi soba (buckwheat noodles), which descended from the Edo period. They also served sake that had been dedicated to the gods.

This shukubo is located at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the Hokosha of Togakushi shrine. It has a beautiful thatched roof matching the well maintained garden. There was a morning service in which I participated. Their specialty, which is of course “soba” (buckwheat noodles), is nothing but delicious.

This is a shukubo of Minobusan Kuon-ji temple. The shukubo people were very kind and they served good food. Also, the Japanese garden of Minobu Town, which is designated as a cultural asset, is very beautiful. It is a must see. I felt as if my mind had been purified while I was leisurely watching the scenery.

Natadera temple used to be a holy place to worship gods in ancient times. Nachidera's shukubo "Ikumo" is located at the top of Mount Engyo, with an altitude of 470 meters. The experience menu includes musical meditation and shakyo (copying sutra by hand).

This shukubo is located closest to the mountain gate of Zenko-ji temple. A shukubo staff member said, "The head priest or the vice-head priest usually guides guests around the precinct. Many of the guests are repeat visitors and we have a family relationship with them."

Many of the shukubo of Zenko-ji temple guide you to the morning service. When I stayed at Gyokusyo-in, the head priest directly guided me there. The room where I stayed was a Japanese style room (eight tatami mats). They serve shojin vegetarian dishes.

This is also a shukubo of Zenko-ji temple; it is also called Dainichi-do and enshrines the main principle of the two images of Dainichinyorai (Mahavairocana), called Taizo and Kongo. They serve shojin vegetarian cuisine and they use pesticide-free vegetables harvested from their own fields.