Kyoto Tofukuji Temple Zazen Meditation & Gardens Guided Tour with Shojin Lunch

Explore Tofukuji Temple on a guided Zen meditation tour with a 1-hour zazen session and Shojin lunch included.

Getting started

Meet your MagicalTrip Certified Guide outside Tofukuji Station Exit 2, next to the Family Mart, at the scheduled start time. After a brief introduction and confirmation of your booking, you walk together to Tofukuji Temple using nearby public transportation access. For tours starting at 10:45, be prepared for lunch at 14:15 and arrive on time, since late arrivals cannot join or reschedule.

What to expect

Tofukuji Temple

Tofukuji Temple is one of Kyoto’s five great Zen temples and forms the setting for this Kyoto Zen Meditation & Garden Tour at a Zen Temple with Lunch. You move through the temple grounds and gardens as your guide explains how Zen principles appear in architecture and landscape design before and after the meditation session.

Features

• Learn about Zen principles through garden design as you explore Tofukuji Temple with your expert guide, who points out how the layout, plantings, and sightlines support quiet focus. The visit is designed as a calm lead-in to the structured meditation that follows.
• Take part in a 1-hour zazen meditation experience inside the temple in a quiet space reserved for the session. During the session, you sit either on a chair without a backrest placed on tatami mats or directly on the tatami mats, maintain silence, and use provided materials for silent reading when instructed.
• Enjoy a traditional Shojin meal as your included lunch, a traditional Shojin meal that follows the meditation for certain start times. Dietary requests must be made in advance by the day before, and allergy-free or specific dietary restrictions cannot be guaranteed.
• Benefit from entry to all venues visited within the temple complex, with the entrance fee for all venues visited covered as part of the tour. Your included Certified MagicalTrip guide manages timing and access so you can focus on the experience rather than logistics.
• Receive photos during the tour that your guide captures at select points, allowing you to keep a visual record without using your own camera during more focused or quiet moments. These photos complement the reflective nature of the visit and let you stay present.

Wrapping up

The guided portion concludes back on the temple grounds, where your zazen session and Shojin lunch are complete. From here, you can make your way back to Tofukuji Station or continue exploring the surrounding Kyoto area independently.