Reviews of Temple Hotel Takayama Zenkoji 4 stars

The temple itself is beautiful, and the atmosphere of the Hotel is quite zen. Staff was very welcoming and gentle. Room was big and traditional. Futons were comfortable enough.

We had to go through the temple to reach our room. You have the temple prayer starting early in the morning. You get all their sounds and will tell you to stay quiet in your room if you don't participate. It is really for the people who want to participate in temple llfe.

This is one of the most unique places we have ever stated! The staff made us feel welcome and took time to offer us tea and share the history of the temple. The experiences they offered were so cool - our kids learned how to make onigiri and miso soup, and we participated in the meditation session. When we almost got stuck in town due to a canceled train, they offered to let us stay an additional night. We would stay here again in a heartbeat.

Nothing. It was peaceful, lovely, and welcoming.

A memorable stay in a beautiful temple in the heart of Takayama. We stayed in a lovely room overlooking the tranquil garden. The highlight of our stay was a meditation session the following morning. It was great to take part and learn more about Buddhism and meditation.

it would have been good to learn more about the temple’s history and daily life for the monks. it’s a shame that you had to pay extra for the meditation as the stay was already expensive. a great visit though.

Beautiful location and place. Very fun to live in a temple; near the old city center. Staff was approachable and our entire stay worked nicely. It was fun to parttake in a buddhist ceremony one morning as well.

The room was very small and not like the ones in the picture. The pictures of the "normal rooms" in the hotel are in the backyard, with views to a small garden. Not all rooms are like this, and ours was relatively cheap and disappointing nearby the entrace and towards the road.

What an unbelievable experience—truly one for the soul. I still have to pinch myself every time I think about staying in an actual temple, where our room opened right into the main prayer area. The beauty was beyond words: majestic, serene, and humbling in every moment. From attending a powerful prayer service and joining a meditation session to sipping miso soup and diving into traditional cooking, every detail felt sacred. We even took part in an underground immersion. Stay of a lifetime.

Nothing. But for whatever reason, I did think there would be monks staying at this temple with us. The only monk I saw throughout the day was the one who did our prayer and meditation session. He was outstanding.

Beautiful building Very friendly staff Very quiet

Nothing

We thought we were booking a room with 2 single beds and a kitchenette, but we got 3 rooms: one with a low table and comfortable cushions, along with adjacent kitchenette; another with a lounge chair and lots of large comfy pillows on tatami mats, and the top floor--an open loft--with two double beds and another lounge chair. The decor was a combination of Japanese minamalism and 20th C modern--tres chic. The staff couldn't be nicer and my friend and I attended a Budhist ceremony, followed by a meditation class and then about 40 minutes of copying the Sutra. The priest who led the Budhist ceremony and meditation session spoke very good English and was excellent at communicating the central tenets of Budhism as well as placing the religion in the broader context of East/West cultural differences. I'm not religious but found this introduction to Budhism and Japanese culture fascinating. The hotel is very centrally located and the town itself charming, with traditional architecture, many restaurants and boutiques; and 15 minutes away by cab is the Hida Folk Village, which is not to be missed. I highly recommend staying at this temple/hotel.

The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. We did the morning prayer service, meditation, rice ball/miso soup experience and kimono experience. All were great! The room was new and quite large. It was wonderful to have a washer/dryer in the room with provided laundry soap.

The staff were really great. The morning prayer was interesting and this is the only thing we can recommend.

The room had an odd smell in our opinion, even with the window opened all night. We stayed in much better places for less money. Overall, overpriced for what it offers.

The room (familiar deluxe) was huge, composed of two separate zones facing the beautiful garden. Really amazing. The Temple is pretty close to everything. The people working in it are caring and professional

The room was really cold but got warmer with the heater (the one on the wall). The neon light in the garden hit the sleeping room for the whole night. Could clearly hear the other guests around the temple during the night. Ceilings are a bit low if you're married to a tall guy ;)

Absolutely beautiful location. The young lady who greeted us was wonderful and the Buddhist monk was so insightful we really enjoyed our conversation with him. Will definitely return in the future.

All good

Staff very friendly and helpful, clean room and shared bathroom/bath. We had to reserve our bath times but this was no problem and everyone shared the space well. We participated in the morning prayer session and also we did meditation session which was a great experience and something we will not forget.

Our room (Sakura) had a bad ‘eggy fart’ smell. This was explained by the kind staff who worked there as they had done a renovation of the tetami (flooring) and the smell is the glue used to stick the mats. However it was not a big deal as after a few minutes you could not smell anything

The room was comfortable, shared facilities were clean. Enjoyed taking part in the prayers and meditation in the morning after my stay

The staff were all incredible, the facility was stunning, and we absolutely loved our stay! We really enjoyed the morning prayer session.

Overall experience. Morning prayer, meditation, the interaction of the staff with us.

All good

It’s central and clean.

It’s was not possible to see or access the Japanese garden. Only from dedicated rooms. Totally disappointing. The Zen—Meditation was also not available. Finally just a simple room with milky windows. Only access to the temple, totally overpriced with 250 USD with no breakfast and shared bathroom. A Ryokan would cost 1/3 of the price, even with breakfast.

Beautiful rooms and garden

Nothing

Prefect !

Nothing

The temple is very nice. We also visited the morning service

The heating system