Additionally, after the prostration, you will have the opportunity to participate in a prayer experience while actually striking the wooden fish (mokugyo). We provide prayer beads that are used during the prostration, allowing you to choose your preferred set as a souvenir to take home after the experience. Following the experience, you will talk with the priest over a specially prepared tea, carefully chosen by the priest.
A Gentle Temple Experience in Fushimi
Learning Everyday Buddhist Practice
Fushimi, Kyoto
Visit a temple in Fushimi, Kyoto, with a history of nearly 800 years and discover how Buddhist practice is woven into everyday life. Guided by the resident priest, the experience offers an accessible introduction to Buddhism, even for those with no prior background.
Guests take part in simple practices such as traditional bowing, prayer, and striking the wooden fish (mokugyo) used in daily temple routines. Prayer beads are provided, and participants may choose a set to take home as a keepsake.
The experience concludes with tea and conversation with the priest, creating space for questions, reflection, and a deeper understanding of Buddhism as a living tradition.
- He says
“In a world full of possessions and information, we believe that temples are called upon to help steady and fulfill people's minds. Through this experience, we hope to spend time with you exploring what contentment and happiness mean from the perspective of Buddhist teachings, which preserve traditional Japanese values.”
- Deputy Head Priest of Daikoji Temple
- Monk Eisho
- While serving as the temple's deputy head priest, he is also active on the YouTube channel “Shrines and Temples Online.” He shares the idea of “Buddhism as culture,” encouraging people with little previous connection to Buddhism to take an interest in it.
Access
15 minutes by train and a 10-minute walk from Kyoto Station
The marker shows the approximate area.
The exact address will be provided when your reservation is confirmed.
Experiences
- Reserve
Everyday Buddhist Practice at a Kyoto Temple
44,000 JPY / personVisit an approximately 800-year-old temple in Fushimi, Kyoto, and discover how Buddhist practice is woven into everyday life. Guided by the resident priest, learn Gotai Touchi prostration, chanting, ceremonial movement, incense purification, and prayer with the mokugyo wooden fish.
Wear a wagesa and use zuko incense before choosing one set of prayer beads for the practice and to take home. The guided sequence welcomes guests with no prior Buddhist background. The experience concludes with tea and conversation with the priest, creating time to ask questions and consider Buddhist teachings as a living part of contemporary Japan.
