Experience Temple Lodge (Shukubo)

Selecting places to stay for travel should be enjoyable and a part of appeal of travel. We have Japanese style hotel, called Ryokan and also modern western style hotels as well. Furthermore, we have temple stay style, called Shukubo. You might want to consider Shukubo as one of options for places to stay. (May , 2008)

What is "Shukubo" ?
Shukubo is to spend a night over the temple such as hotels and Ryokans and basically provides to not only monks but also open to any visitors. They provides ascetic practices and programs such as Zen meditation, temple dish called Shojin Ryori (Ryori means food in Japanese) from local fresh vegetables, and temple traditional service at evening and morning such as cleaning.
 

Basic Information
Accommodation Fee
You can stay with about 5,000 JPY per person for a night with dinner and breakfast but it depends on where you stay. If you would like to stay over at temples with good facility, great service and magnificent history, it would be around 12,000 JPY per person with dinner and breakfast; at most it would be around 20,000 JPY per person.

Room / Facility / Garden
Room is traditional Japanese style, futon and tatami mats on floor. Family and groups can occupy a room as a private room and some temples might request to share with other visitors when you visit temple as single. Rooms are mostly separated by Fusuma (Japanese traditional sliding door). In most of temples, you see Japanese beautiful well-cared gardens, which make you relaxed. They might be not opened to public so you might find good gardens, not on the guide books. Sit down at edge of the eaves, and watch the gardens with green tea.

Food
The food is traditional Japanese Shojin Ryori. Usually, this is the simple food which monks eat, made from local fresh vegetables and highly balanced ingredients. Shukubo basically provides either accommodation with breakfast or with dinner and breakfast. You may request without-meals, however, Shojin Ryori deserves to eat and it cannot be provided if you select accommodation without-meals.

Service / Ascetic Practices
Kinds of ascetic programs and service might be different in each temple, for example, Zen (Buddhism meditation), Shakyo (writing sutra, sutra copying), Takigyo (meditation in waterfall), Service at morning (ordinary service such as cleaning), and Waho (monk’s speech). Contacting each temple provides more details and seasonal events for your stay.

Shukubo in/around Tokyo / Kanto
Mt. Takao Yakuoin Temple (Hachioji, Tokyo)
You can enjoy the sacred temple, Yakuoin temple, with various programs such as Takigyo and very good access from center of Tokyo. This was introduced in Michelin Guide with 3 stars and famous sightseeing spot in every season.
Access: 45 minutes by walking from Takaosanguchi Station (or 6 minutes by cable car)
URL: http://www.takaosan.or.jp/ (Japanese only)
 

Musashi Mitake Shrine Komadori Sanso (Oume, Tokyo)
Shukubo at Okutama, Tokyo. This doesn’t have the good accessibility as Mt. Takao has, however, it will give you more atmosphere of out-of-the-way by using cable car to reach the temple. Needless to say, it has various programs and you will smack the lips of its Shojin Ryori from Okutama nature.
Access: 10 minutes by bus from JR Mitake Station (bound for Cable-Shita) and 6 minutes by cable car
URL: http://www.hkr.ne.jp/~komadori/komadori.html
Reference: http://templelodging.com/spot/03kanto/mitake004.html

Mt. Minobu Kuonji Temple Kubonobo (Minobu, Yamanashi)
This is a venerable temple which St. Nichiren opened. It will provide Zen and Shakyo programs and you can enjoy the beautiful view of South Japan Alps (the view of Mt. Fuji when it’s sunny, as well). Around Kubonobo, you will find and enjoy a lot of souvenir shops and restaurants even you just take a walk around.
Access: 20 minutes from JR Minobu Station (bound for Kuonji)
URL: http://www8.ocn.ne.jp/~kubonobo/ (Japanese only)
Reference: http://templelodging.com/spot/02kousinetsu/minobu002.html

Oyama Afuri Shrine Togakubo (Isehara, Kanagawa)
Oyama Afuri Shrine is located in Tanzawa Oyama Quasi-National Park, only 2 hours from Tokyo and has beautiful nature with the view of Izu, Enoshima Island, Tanzawa mountain range, and Sagami plain field. Togakubo is one of the oldest Shukubo in Oyama and has good reputation of its home-made Tofu food with good facility.
Access: 30 minutes by bus from Isehara Station (bound for Oyama Cable Station)
URL: http://www6.ocn.ne.jp/~tougaku/top/top.htm (Japanese Only)
Reference: http://templelodging.com/spot/03kanto/ooyama001.html

Note:
Curfew
Shukubo is originally a place for ascetic practice for monks and has curfew. It might close 5 PM in some temples and might open till 10 PM and really depends on where you stay. You might want to check the time of curfew before you stay.

Language
Recently, there are some English descriptions or English speakers; however, you might want to consider it really doesn’t speak foreign languages. Making conversation by writing or gesturing will help their communication.

Female Only
Such as Kaoin Temple in Kyoto, Shukubo might limit the female guest only. If it has such limit, gentlemen shall forget about it, but most of Shukubo welcome any genders.

Service
Chief Monk (called Jushoku), other monks and staff will be very kind to you and tell a lot of things, however, Shukubo is a place for ascetic practices of monks and you probably do not want to expect the hospitality like Ryokans and hotels.