Half-Day Zenkoji Tour with Tea Experience
Description
Discover the spiritual side of Nagano on a guided tour of Zenkoji Temple. Enjoy a tasting of sake at a local brewery, savor the flavors of 'oyaki' dumplings, and take part in a tea experience.
Tour Options
Itinerary
‘Oyaki’ dumplings are made from fermented buckwheat dough and rice powder, filled with all manner of vegetables, fruit, or ‘anko’ bean paste. Simple, healthy, and tasty. Followed by a Sake tasting experience at Imanishiki Sake Brewery.
Only a short walk away from the brewery, begin your guided tour of Zenkoji Temple. Your guide will reveal its storied history and secrets, while also explaining the role of Buddhism in Japan in an enjoyable and engaging way as you head toward the site of the ‘goma’ prayer fire ceremony.
Combining tradition with modern style, you will get to make your own matcha while discovering the art and performance of this authentic Japanese experience.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.
Reviews(18)
Absolutely memorable and unforgettable experience! Our tour guide, Kevin, was incredibly knowledgeable about Japanese culture and shared fascinating insights throughout the tour. The two temples we visited were stunning, and we even had the opportunity to go inside and explore them. The fire ceremony was truly unforgettable—we had never experienced anything like it before. The green tea ceremony was also very special, thoughtfully organized, and beautifully conducted. Kevin answered all of our questions and was such a great person to spend time with. His passion, friendliness, and expertise made the experience even more enjoyable. The local food included in the tour was absolutely delicious, and every part of the day was well planned. We would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Japan and would happily do it again more than once! Thank you so much, Kevin, for this incredible and unforgettable experience!
We had a wonderful afternoon with our guide, Alissa. She was very helpful in teaching us about Nagano and the Zenkoji temple. We especially loved the Buddhist fire ceremony and tea ceremony and went home with fully bellies and happy hearts!
Dear Guest, What a beautiful way to describe your day! We are absolutely beaming to hear that you went home with full bellies and happy hearts, as that is exactly the feeling we hope to leave our guests with. It’s wonderful to know that those experiences, along with the history of Zenkoji, made your afternoon in Nagano so special. We hope that feeling stays with you throughout the rest of your travels! We hope to see you soon again in Japan! Warmly, The Snow Monkey Resorts Team
The experience was fantastic. The guide provided information different from the previous day at the temple was very happy with his ability to pivot and personalise for us.
Dear Liam, Thank you so much for the review! We are so glad we could provide a fresh perspective for you. It’s wonderful to hear that your guide was able to pivot and offer new insights, even after you had visited the temple the day before! We really strive to make our tours feel personal and adaptive to what our guests already know, so it’s rewarding to hear that it hit the mark for you. We’re thrilled you enjoyed the tea ceremony and the company. Warmly, The Snow Monkey Resorts Team
For a half day experience, this tour exceeded my expectation. It was great working with Shawn and alissa and how flexible they were with me! I usually do my own research and experience things in my own without a tour guide, but I had little to no prep this time. They covered most of the major points of the shrine area leaving me satisfied! Would recommend !
Dear Guest, Thank you so much for your review! We completely understand the joy of doing your own research, so hearing that our tour exceeded your expectations even without any prep is a huge compliment. Shawn and Alissa were so happy to work with you! They love being flexible and tailoring the experience to make sure you hit all the major highlights of the Zenkoji area without the stress of navigating it alone. We’re thrilled you left feeling satisfied, and we hope to welcome you to Japan again sometime soon! Warmly, The Snow Monkey Resorts Team
This tour is very interesting to get to know the local culture better; Joyce is a great guide, very attentive and kind. I highly recommend.
Dear Gabriel, Thank you so much for the review! We are thrilled that you enjoyed our Zenkoji and tea experience. Joyce was very happy to hear your kind words. She takes great pride in making our local culture accessible and meaningful for our guests, so she will be glad to know her attentive approach made a difference for you. There is something so special about the peace of the temple and the ritual of the tea, and we’re glad you got to experience it fully! Prezado Gabriel, Muito obrigado pela sua avaliação! Ficamos felizes em saber que você aproveitou o tour no Zenko-ji e a experiência com o chá. A Joyce ficou muito contente com suas palavras gentis. Ela se orgulha muito em tornar nossa cultura local acessível e significativa para nossos visitantes, por isso ficará feliz em saber que sua atenção e gentileza fizeram a diferença para você. Há algo de muito especial na paz do templo e no ritual do chá, e estamos felizes que você pôde vivenciar isso plenamente! Warmly, The Snow Monkey Resorts Team
I had an amazing time today on this tour of Zenkoji Temple / “food tour” of Nagano. I ended up having a private tour with Kevin who was wonderful: so friendly, knowledgeable, down to earth and easy to be around. My highlights were the tea ceremony with Tetsu-san and Suki-san, as well as the sake tasting (plum sake was 🌟). Seeing the beautiful temples and learning about the history behind them was fascinating. I am so glad I booked this tour and I feel like I lucked out! I would absolutely recommend it. Thanks again, Kevin, for an amazing introduction to Nagano!
I thoroughly enjoyed this tour with Kevin. He had a deep knowledge of Nagano's history and an entertaining way of conveying the stories. Without this tour, I would have walked around just superficially looking at things, with no understanding of their place in Japan's history. It was a really interesting day. The sake tasting, oyake tasting and tea ceremony were wonderful. I 100% recommend this tour to anyone visiting Nagano.
Exceptional tour of Nagano with Devin (half day tour with tea ceremony and Zenkoji experience). From start to finish we were provided with lots of information from a personable tour guide. The tour itself was packed. We tried a local speciality, oyaki (savoury stuffed dumplings) which we watched made. Then it was off to a lovely temple where we experienced its fire ceremony (fascinating) and had a Japanese sake tasting which was a nice introduction to the whole drink. Finally we had a traditional tea ceremony from a lovely host who provided lots of history. Would highly recommend this tour and the company with Devin being an exceptional guide.
Such a good mix of activities in a relatively short time. Especially loved the “tea ceremony” - learning to make matcha with a lovely local couple. It was intimate and a modern take on the traditional experience. Shawn was a personable and knowledgeable guide and kept everything running smoothly even while navigating some late arrivals and arranging to meet them part way through the tour. Thanks for a lovely afternoon!
Very friendly interesting tour. The tea ceremony was very interesting. The fire ceremony was a unique experience.
