Shukubo (temple stay)
The room where I stayed was a Japanese style room (eight tatami mats), nicely appointed with drawers, a hibachi heater and a desk, etc. The name of the room was Jizo-no-Ma and a jizo statue stood in the alcove. A towel, a yukata robe and a toothbrush were provided. It is equipped with a TV set and air conditioning.
Shojin vegetarian dishes
They serve shojin vegetarian dishes. When I stayed there, they served shojin quasi-kabayaki (grill), raw yuba, devil’s tongue jelly sashimi, sesame hiryuzu, kujo green onion seasoned with vinegar miso, sobakanoko, sesame tofu, mame-no-hana, shinshu buckwheat noodles, shojin sasazushi (sushi placed on a bamboo leave), miso soup and pickles. What is attractive is sasazushi, which is shiitake mushroom, fried nozawana (a green leaf vegetable), ostrich fern and radish pickled in miso paste. As the name indicates, the sushi is served on bamboo leaves. I hear that they arranged what Kenshin Uesugi, a feudal lord, ate during the famous battle of Kawanakajima in shojin style. Also, they serve buck wheat rice kanoko, which is bamboo shoots, fried tofu and satoimo potatoes mixed and wrapped with buckwheat rice seasoned with sweet mushroom jam. The thick jam beautifully matched the soft wheat rice and satoimo, and tasted too good to eat.
What impressed me the most was the taste of hiryuzu (fried tofu mixed with nuts, chopped vegetables, etc.). In the mouth, the taste of the light soup came out, making me realize how meticulously it was made.
In addition, rare tasting food such as smoked tofu and Juwari (100%) buckwheat noodles, a specialty of Shinshu were served. They were plentiful. (And I asked for another plate of sasazushi).
On another day, Italian vegetarian cuisine was served. It was also delicious.
Morning service
Many of the shukubo of Zenko-ji temple guide you to the morning service (held in the main hall of Zenko-ji temple in the morning). When I stayed at Gyokusyo-in, the head priest directly guided me there. I had stayed at three other shukubo lodgings of Zenko-ji so far, but I had been always guided by an official guide. Therefore, the explanation made by the head priest, who actually conducts the rituals of Zenko-ji temple, was fresh from a different perspective. (According to the head priest, he himself often guides guests when the number of guests is small.)
After returning to the Gyokusyo-in, we made beads And the chief priest offered a prayer.
The people working at shukubo were kind and warm. I was able to enjoy the day at Zenko-ji temple.
Gyokusyo-in is active among the many shukubo lodgings of Zenko-ji temple. It holds regular zazen meetings, shakyo (copying sutra by hand) meetings and picture-card shows telling the story of Zenko-ji’s origin.
