Temple Hotel Takayama Zenkoji

Beautiful traditional Japanese room with tatami flooring and shoji doors that open up with wonderful views of a traditional Japanese garden. It was definitely our best stay during our Japanese trip and a true highlight. We were welcomed by the Buddhist monk on arrival and showed us around a shared kitchen/dining area fully equipped with tea and coffee. Our room included a washing machine which was very handy. Location was great - 7 minutes from Takayama station, 10 minutes from the old town and morning markets. Plenty of restaurants and stores around. We thoroughly enjoyed taking part in the prayer and meditation practice and the monk kindly explained the teachings of Buddha and the importance of being present. We highly recommend staying here!

Beautiful traditional rooms set in an old temple. We had a large suite with its own bathroom and effectively 3 other rooms (2 bedrooms and a dining area) for a family of 4. The facilities were super clean and beautifully presented, and the staff we met were just lovely and helpful. Think tatami mats, futon beds etc. The other thing that struck us was the amount of space, we never expected to stay somewhere so spacious in Japan. There are a number of experiences you can participate in as well, be sure to check them out! Probably no more than a 15 min walk to most sights in town.

This place is amazing, the staff is amazing, the experiences are amazing. The morning prayers are very suggestive and the breakfast cooking fun, they explain to you everything and they do it with nice smile and passion. Thank you to Mihoko, the monk and the host that helped me with the breakfast making Ryou (I don’t know if I spell it right) and the host from Hokkaido ( unfortunately I don’t know his name). It has been a real pleasure!

It was an awesome experience! The staff was very nice and the atmosphere beyond our expectations! The garden had an old-time vibe, and having a coffee while contemplating it was excellent. Unfortunately, the monk couldn't be present to officiate the morning prayer, but as we stay 2 more nights in Takayama at another hotel, we will be able to join when he returns.

We (my wife and I) stayed in the Zenko-Ji Temple hotel for one night and had a fantastic experience. We were greeted warmly right from the beginning by the friendly staff and could check in despite arriving a bit before the check-in time. After the quick check-in we had a small tour of the place and got an introduction to the temple and the various possible activities we can partake in. We had a lovely room (Sakura room), nothing fancy but very fitting to the place itself- traditional, simplistic yet comfortable. The next day we joined the morning prayer at 7:00 am which is highly recommended. Afterwards we also had a meditation session with the head monk who runs the temple/hotel. It was a great experience with some useful insights about meditation. Overall I would highly recommend staying here. It's not a place for a fancy stay but a place that can offer an insight to Buddhism in Japan, where you can have lovely conversations with the friendly staff and enjoy a peaceful environment.