01
Tenryu-ji
A free monthly sitting
- Language
- English instruction not confirmed
- Booking
- No reservation for individual participants
- Fee
- Free for individual participants
Take part · Kyoto
Zen meditation in Kyoto
Choose by language, booking and the kind of practice you want to join. A free monthly sitting and a reserved English session ask different things of your itinerary.
Partner disclosure: The GetYourGuide option is an affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The two temple links are direct sources; we receive no commission from them.
Which session fits your visit?
02
Shunkoin · Kissako
Conversation in English
- Language
- English, directly with the priest
- Booking
- Reserve a dated session in advance
- Fee
- Check the temple's dated booking page
03
Candlelit Zen · private session
An English-guided booking
- Language
- English guide listed by GetYourGuide
- Booking
- Select a date and group on GetYourGuide
- Fee
- From ¥120,000 per private group (up to 9) · listing snapshot
01 · Tenryu-ji: join the monthly zazen
Tenryu-ji publishes a sitting at Yūun-an, 09:00–10:00 on the second Sunday of the month, excluding February, July and August. Individual participants attend free, without a reservation, and beginners may join. This is the temple’s regular sitting; the garden and other visitor admissions are separate from this offer.
Its event page does not confirm English instruction. If you need spoken guidance in English, choose an option that explicitly includes it. Recheck the temple’s current notices before planning around the monthly session.
02 · Shunkoin: Zen, tea and questions in English
Shunkoin’s October–December 2026 notice describes Kissako: about two hours of seated meditation, tea and dialogue in English with Rev. Takafumi Zenryu Kawakami. It accepts up to 12 participants and requires advance reservation. Follow the temple’s links to the dated Peatix session for its fee and remaining places.
Socks are required; the temple recommends modest clothing and discourages short skirts for sitting. Its notice states a 100% cancellation fee fewer than seven days before the reserved date. This is a booked session in a normally private temple setting, so arrange the reservation before turning up.
For visitors with a US-registered Peatix account, the temple flags country settings as a possible reason overseas event links do not work. Its notice links to Peatix’s help.
Temple’s dates and reservation links ↗Optional partner booking
03 · An English-guided private session
GetYourGuide lists Candlelit Zen: Evening Meditation at Kyoto’s Secret Temple, supplied by Travel Japan Together, as a 70-minute private activity with an English guide. The listing includes a monk’s introduction to zazen, seated practice and tea. This is a separate product from the two temple sessions above.
The listing showed From ¥120,000 per private group (up to 9) when checked on 2026-10-10. Confirm the quote for your date; this is a group price, not a per-person ticket.
Read the meeting instructions and confirm the date, group price, language and cancellation terms on the booking page. A published listing does not confirm places for your travel date. JinjaDB has not attended or tested this activity.
Check the private session on GetYourGuide ↗Partner link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.