Early Morning Buddhist Temple Experience at Tokyo,Japan

Tour Itenary

This tour starts early in the morning, at 6am, and finishes at 9:30am. You will have the unique opportunity to change into traditional clothes, participate in a Buddhist ceremony and listen to a traditional concert. Additionally, you will be able to work alongside the temple's Buhhist priests as they polish sacred temple relics and wares. Afterwards, you will be rewarded with an elaborate 18-dish breakfast from a popular restaurant that is closely associated with the temple.

About Tsukiji Hongwanji

Tsukiji Hongwanji is a Buddhist temple belonging to the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha denomination, also known as Shin Buddhism, which was founded by the monk Shinran (1173-1263) and whose head temple is Hongwanji (Nishi Hongwanji) in Kyoto. The temple was first built near Asakusa, but was burnt down in a fire in 1657 and rebuilt at its current location in 1679. At that time, the area where the temple stands now was the sea. Temple followers and others implemented a land reclamation project and rebuilt the temple on the new land. In 1923, the temple was again destroyed by fire caused by the Great Kanto earthquake, and, in 1934, the current Hondo (main worship hall) was rebuilt according to a design by renowned architect Ito Chuta. In 2014, the temple’s main worship hall, gate posts (Main gate, North gate, and South gate), and stone walls were designated as National Important Cultural Properties. “Tsukiji” means “reclaimed land” and signifies the origins of the site on which the temple stands.

The tour itinerary is below.

06:00 Meeting And Pickup

Tsukiji Hongwanji Information Center (glass building on the left after entering from the main gate)

※ If you are late, it will be considered a cancellation. You cannot cancel your application after applying.

06:30 Change Into Traditional Clothes

Your group will be guided through the temple to a private chamber. Along the way, you will learn about the temple’s extensive history and peak around different areas, typically restricted to ordinary visitors. You change into Samue and socks and look like a monk.

07:00 Buddhist Service

Dressed to impress, you will return to the main hall and participate in the morning service in an area reserved exclusively for monks and special guests.

07:40 Exclusive Tour of the Inner Sanctum and Incense Burning

You will enter a room that is not open to the general public and experience making incense.You are able to light incense sticks, using the smoke to cleanse yourself.

07:55 Polishing Buddhist Ritual Items with Buddhist priests

You will be guided to a backyard that ordinary people cannot enter. There, you will polish precious Buddhist tools together with the monks. You can experience polishing Buddhist utensils, which is part of the monks' custom, and you can also communicate with the Buddhist priests.

08:35 Special Live Gagaku Performance

After your work is finished, you will be taken to special chamber. Here you will have the pleasure to witness a live gagku performance from a few monks. Gagaku is word used to describe traditional Japanese court music and performance used to entertain the imperial family and their guests.

08:55 18-Dish Buddhist Associated Breakfast

have an 18 dish buddhist associated breakfast. If you’re wondering why there are 18-dishes, it is inspired by the 48 Great Vows of the Amitabha Buddha.

※This tour does not accept requests for allergies or vegetarian meals.

09:30 Change clothes and finish

Participants change into their own clothes and the tour ends.

Booking

How was it? This is a rare opportunity to experience a unique Japanese culture. If you would like to apply, you can make a reservation using the link below.

▶︎Make a reservation through Viator