Zazen & Matcha + Private Nursery School Tour (with English-speaking guide)

First, you'll meet your local English-speaking guide at Kinosaki Onsen Station. Then you'll set out on a guided walking tour through Japan's famous resort town, Kinosaki Onsen. After a thoughtful stroll through the hot spring resort area, you'll visit Gokurakuji Temple. This temple is famous for its beautiful traditional Japanese rock garden, zen meditation practice, a friendly Buddhist priest, and a child daycare center next door.

Through this activity, experience seated zen meditation in a local temple while gazing outside at the tranquil rock garden. Afterwards, with the help of your guide, you can chat with the Buddhist priest while sipping on matcha and eating Japanese sweets. Then take a step into modern Japan right next door by visiting a Japanese child daycare. You'll see cheerful children are having fun playing and learning.

Take a glimpse into both traditional and contemporary Japanese life and culture through this tour. The tour will help clear your mind and warm your heart.

Experience Zazen, otherwise known as seated zen meditation, together with a chief Buddhist priest. Zazen starts with correcting your breathing posture, and originated in India. The doctrine of Zen Buddhism can be described as wordless communication, or expression without language. You can escape from hectic everyday life and open your ears to the sounds of nature during Zazen. Hear birds chirping and the wind whispering, sounds that you probably wouldn’t normally hear. Then your mind will soon have a sense of unity, which is why many people experience Zazen.

Kinosaki Kodomoen is a certified center for early childhood education and care, which is a type of combined daycare center and kindergarten. It started as a religious organization with 40 people in 1984, and later opened as the Kinosaki After School Children's Club in 2007. It became certified as a center for early childhood education and care in 2011.

Gokurakuji is in a hidden corner of town, making for a tranquil area to practice meditation and chat freely with the Buddhist priest. Not many visit this temple, so you'll likely have the area all to yourself when you visit. The chief Buddhist priest is a friendly man who will instruct you on the proper way to sit, breathe and meditate, as well as chat with you about Buddhism. You may participate in meditation in your own clothes or in samue, which are monk's working clothes. Samue in multiple colors are available for you to wear.

Gokurakuji Temple is a special place where you can experience both traditional and modern Japan.