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Zenkoji Temple Tour: Fire & Tea Ceremony
5.0
17 Ratings
Nagano
Explore the spiritual essence of Nagano with a guided tour of Zenkoji Temple. Delight in a sake tasting at a nearby brewery, relish the taste of ‘oyaki’ dumplings, and engage in a traditional tea experience.
Explore the spiritual essence of Nagano with a guided tour of Zenkoji Temple. Delight in a sake tasting at a nearby brewery, relish the taste of ‘oyaki’ dumplings, and engage in a traditional tea experience.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Ogawanoshodaimonten - Enjoy ‘Oyaki’ dumplings crafted from fermented buckwheat dough and rice flour, filled with a variety of vegetables, fruits, or ‘anko’ bean paste. These are simple, healthy, and delicious. This is followed by a sake tasting experience at Imanishiki Sake Brewery.
- Zenko-ji Temple - Just a short stroll from the brewery,…
- Ogawanoshodaimonten - Enjoy ‘Oyaki’ dumplings crafted from fermented buckwheat dough and rice flour, filled with a variety of vegetables, fruits, or ‘anko’ bean paste. These are simple, healthy, and delicious. This is followed by a sake tasting experience at Imanishiki Sake Brewery.
- Zenko-ji Temple - Just a short stroll from the brewery, embark on a guided tour of Zenkoji Temple. The guide will share its rich history and secrets, while also explaining the significance of Buddhism in Japan in an engaging and enjoyable manner as you proceed to the site of the ‘goma’ prayer fire ceremony.
- Patio Daimon - Blending tradition with contemporary style, participants will have the opportunity to make their own matcha while exploring the art and performance of this genuine Japanese experience.
What's Included
- Tea experience with matcha and traditional sweets
- Simple lunch of two oyaki
- Sake tasting
- Guided tour of Zenkoji and goma prayer fire ceremony
- English-speaking guide
- Tea experience with matcha and traditional sweets
- Simple lunch of two oyaki
- Sake tasting
- Guided tour of Zenkoji and goma prayer fire ceremony
- English-speaking guide
What's Not Included
- Transport fees inc. Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ to/from Nagano City
- Additional food, snacks & drinks
- Transport fees inc. Shinkansen / ‘Bullet Train’ to/from Nagano City
- Additional food, snacks & drinks
Additional Information
- All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may…
- All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.
Location
Nagano Station
The meetup point is inside Nagano Station in front of the information aboard right across the Shinkansen exit gates
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(17 Ratings)
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Mts55305
Mar 23, 2026
Great afternoon in Nagano - We had a wonderful afternoon with our guide, Alissa. She was very helpful in teaching us about Nagano and the Zenkoji temple. We especially loved the Buddhist fire ceremony and tea ceremony and went home with fully bellies and happy hearts!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
262liamm
Mar 18, 2026
Best Tea Ceremony and Great Company - The experience was fantastic. The guide provided information different from the previous day at the temple was very happy with his ability to pivot and personalise for us.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
O6357pkjulianl
Mar 10, 2026
great half day experience! - For a half day experience, this tour exceeded my expectation. It was great working with Shawn and alissa and how flexible they were with me! I usually do my own research and experience things in my own without a tour guide, but I had little to no prep this time. They covered most of the major points of the shrine area leaving me satisfied!
Would recommend !
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gabrielami8156xi
Jan 22, 2026
Great tour to get to know the local culture - This tour is very interesting to get to know the local culture better; Joyce is a great guide, very attentive and kind. I highly recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Georgialj7414cd
Dec 12, 2025
Wonderful Taste of Nagano—Thanks Kevin! - I had an amazing time today on this tour of Zenkoji Temple / “food tour” of Nagano. I ended up having a private tour with Kevin who was wonderful: so friendly, knowledgeable, down to earth and easy to be around. My highlights were the tea ceremony with Tetsu-san and Suki-san, as well as the sake tasting (plum sake was 🌟). Seeing the beautiful temples and learning about the history behind them was fascinating. I am so glad I booked this tour and I feel like I lucked out! I would absolutely recommend it. Thanks again, Kevin, for an amazing introduction to Nagano!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauram01
Dec 4, 2025
Must-do tour! - I thoroughly enjoyed this tour with Kevin. He had a deep knowledge of Nagano's history and an entertaining way of conveying the stories. Without this tour, I would have walked around just superficially looking at things, with no understanding of their place in Japan's history. It was a really interesting day. The sake tasting, oyake tasting and tea ceremony were wonderful. I 100% recommend this tour to anyone visiting Nagano.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Foodie131979
Nov 9, 2025
Fascinating tour of temple and Nagona with an exceptional guide - Exceptional tour of Nagano with Devin (half day tour with tea ceremony and Zenkoji experience). From start to finish we were provided with lots of information from a personable tour guide. The tour itself was packed. We tried a local speciality, oyaki (savoury stuffed dumplings) which we watched made. Then it was off to a lovely temple where we experienced its fire ceremony (fascinating) and had a Japanese sake tasting which was a nice introduction to the whole drink. Finally we had a traditional tea ceremony from a lovely host who provided lots of history. Would highly recommend this tour and the company with Devin being an exceptional guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
687amandaw
Nov 7, 2025
Great afternoon in Nagano - Such a good mix of activities in a relatively short time. Especially loved the “tea ceremony” - learning to make matcha with a lovely local couple. It was intimate and a modern take on the traditional experience. Shawn was a personable and knowledgeable guide and kept everything running smoothly even while navigating some late arrivals and arranging to meet them part way through the tour. Thanks for a lovely afternoon!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Stefanieschwankner
Oct 11, 2025
An exciting afternoon - Very friendly interesting tour. The tea ceremony was very interesting. The fire ceremony was a unique experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nathaliegalistan
Oct 2, 2025
The tour was one of our highlights in Nagano - Joyce was so lovely and accommodating throughout the tour. The itinerary is perfect and the pace was really good especially as we had elderly with us. It was one of my highlights for my latest trip to Japan.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
