Temple Hotel Takayama Zenkoji

It was a magical experience. Huge room. Very friendly staff. Offering of extra experiences as medidation is a plus.

Very cool place to stay. Everyone is very nice and the activities are rewarding. While it wasn't a problem for us -- there are realities to the moon room if you choose it. It's cold, but there are heated blankets and space heaters. You can hear everything outside very clearly, and there is a prayer and meditation service from 7 to 9 that will be very audible as you are in a room directly connected to these services. If you don't plan to attend the services and you are a light sleeper that wants to sleep in, heed this advice!

Incredible and unique experience to stay at this property! It was VERY VERY cold though (mid Feb). No real heating aside from space heaters dispersed around the temple. We are Canadians and used to the cold and at times it was uncomfortable. Despite this, we’d stay again. Our kids loved the rice ball making class and we did the spirit awakening experience as well which was very cool.

The best part of our stay was the bedroom location. We had shakara room which is in the front and most private. There are rooms that have to walk either across the temple for shared bathroom or right next to the bathroom where there may be more noise. Not a fan of the only one bathroom. And water provided would have been nice. Showers have to be scheduled on time board since it is shared. Nice host and clean. Towels need improvement. Quality and quantity.

お寺体験がいろいろできたのはよかったです。写真に出ているお庭を鑑賞する機会がなかったのがちょっと残念かな。。

I've had the most incredible time at the temple. It's a cultural immersion and I recommend it to everyone!

良かったです！ また行きたいです！

日曜日の7時からのお勤め（修行）が素晴らしい体験でした。外国人の滞在が多く、それも価値はありますが、日本人にこそお勧めしたい体験です。 特に欧州に滞在した経験がある方は、キリスト教やイスラム教などのビビッとな信念のある宗教感に対して、自分の宗教感のあやふやさに劣等感を感じたりします。そうした若い頃からの漠然としたものに、ストンと落ちるような話と体験を得られました。自分探しをしていたときに何度か見聞きしていた言葉であっても、住職自身が100%の確信ではなくても、何かの赦しを得た感謝と、「伝わった」時です。 宿泊施設としても良い場所です。一軒家をシェアしている感覚なので、隣から物音が聞こえたり、挨拶しても反応するもない、外国人がいたり、そういうのが苦手な形にはお勧め出来ませんが、20代にロンドンで、多国籍の中で1ヶ月シェアハウスした時の時間が蘇り、私の中では本当に素敵な時間でした。周辺の環境含め、場所の便利さも素晴らしいですが、ビジネスホテル代わりという感じではなく、時間がある旅行、できればお勤めがある日に滞在して頂きたいです。

We had a lovely stay - we read some reviews that suggested our room would be cold or bright but it was neither. There were heaters in the room and also thick curtains. Was great to have a fully equipped kitchen in a beautiful setting.

Beautiful setting in a monastery. We were greeted with tea and shown around. They staff and monks were very friendly and encouraged us to attend the morning ceremony, which we did. The bedding was Japanese futons with a soft top layer and electric blankets. Hard but acceptable. As should be expected, the monastery is old and not well insulated. The heater was running full blast trying to keep the room at 18. There are no chairs in the room but there is a cosy shared lounge and kitchen. You can make meals and breakfast. Coffee and tea are provided. The bathroom is shared. There are only two for all the guests one with toilet and sink and other with sink, shower and bath (very pretty design - this can be “reserved” for over an hour by rooms). I did have to wait quite a while on one occasion to use the toilet room while people were brushing their teeth etc

Temple Hotel Zenkoji was so much more than I could have ever expected. The staff were super attentive & welcoming, the location was central & extremely walkable, and the experience of staying inside a buddhist temple cannot be matched! Having a kitchen and private soaking tub was an added bonus. The monk that was staying for a few days even led a ceremony, and there are more activities within the hotel itself. I woke up every morning in disbelief where I was. While I've been to Japan many times, this was one of the most memorable experiences.

Just a beautiful, peaceful place to stay...wonderful staff, close to all tourist attractions and conveniences. Loved Ramayana!

Wir haben ein sehr großzügiges Zimmer gebucht, welches aus drei Räumen sowie privatem Badezimmer mit WC bestand. Wir konnten alle Schiebewände verstellen und die freie Sicht auf den Garten genießen (auch hier ist eine Glasfront mit Schiebetüren, die wir öffnen konnten). Die Zimmer haben Heizkörper, die sehr schnell für Wärme sorgen. Spannend ist der im Hotel liegende Tempel und die sehr angenehme Ruhe. Für uns war dieses Hotel das Highlight unserer Rundreise. Leider mussten wir einen Tag früher abreisen, weil der Typhoon Hagibis näher kam und wir weiter Richtung Westen wollten, um auf Nummer sicher zu gehen. Wir haben unsere Abreise sehr bedauert. Noch etwas zum Ort: Die Altstadt ist wunderschön und Richtung Osten gibt es auch einige sehenswerte Tempel. Am Abend findet man tolle Restaurants mit Hida-Rind (Wagyu) in fussläufiger Umgebung. Als Ausgangsort für einen Tagesausflug nach Shirakawa sehr geeignet.

Very unique experience for sure. We stayed during Autumn festival so the rooms with the private bathroom and garden were already booked. But our room was great as well, bedding is warm and comfortable. Sleeping on the floor, no TV or tables. There is A/C, power outlets and wifi though in the room. We didn't have problems using shared bathroom and shower, which you have to sign up for. We explored the hidden passage under the temple. And enjoyed the Singing Bowl experience. Temple interior is gorgeous and we could see it as much and often as we wanted since our room was just a door apart from it. Personnel was nice, friendly and helpful. It's a bit too pricey but it probably was because of the holiday.

Certainly unique in temple setting. I stayed two nights and there was no service in the room the whole period. I would have appreciated the option of a chair, as well as sitting in the floor. I clearly had not appreciated what the experience would be like.

Uniek om in een tempel te overnachten. Zeer vriendelijk personeel. Schoon. In het centrum

Tiene su gracia alojarse en las instalaciones de un templo, pero el sobreprecio es exclusivamente por eso, ya que por lo demás las instalaciones son regulares. No hay aire acondicionado, la cocina/nevera son compartidas y la recepción funciona de 9 a 21 h.

L’accueil était parfait. La chambre flower est superbe. Exceptionnelle vue sur le jardin zen. Très calme. Matelas au sol très confortable. Les lieux invitent au calme et à la tranquillité. Inoubliable.

Un temple qui fait hôtel avec des chambres tout équipées voire avec vue sur un très joli jardin zen, mais aussi 2 chambres qui partagent salle de bain et toilettes, dont la notre, la Sakura. Qui donnait sur la rue. Donc prévoir bouchons antibruit. Petite avec des matelas assez sommaires mais nous avons bien dormi. La salle de bain est vraiment très belle et nécessite de poser des créneaux de réservation sur des plages horaires spécifiques. Cela se gère plutôt bien sauf à avoir les occupants de l'autre chambre qui mettent des créneaux de 4 h de réservation !!! Ce que nous avons vécu. Cuisine partagée avec un bac de frigo par chambre, c'était bien pr le budget. Personnel plutôt accueillant, dont une personne vraiment sympa qui ayant vécu en France a bien voulu parler français tandis que nous essayons nous de parler japonais ! Vraiment agréable comme contact et cette personne était vraiment aux petits soins. Bref un séjour vraiment bien (Takayama vaut le coup et on peut faire plein de belles promenades aux alentours à coup de car), mais vu le confort de la chambre et les salles partagées, le tarif de notre chambre me paraît d un rapport qualité prix à revoir... Mais on dort ds un temple avec accès aux espaces de méditation et de prières donc ceci justifie peut être cela. C'est une expérience en tout cas !

Quiet and calm setting, relaxing place to stay. Small but adequate kitchen, bath, and sitting areas. My preference was to use the local sentou for bathing, Spa House Yutopia, 5 min walk. Monday -Wed are quite in Takayama, but on weekends the old part of town comes to life. Takayama is walkable from Zenko-ji. Overall, a great place to stay.