Kyoto Zen Meditation: Garden Tour at Tofukuji Temple

Discover Zen at Tofukuji Temple: Meditate, explore serene gardens, and savor a traditional lunch. Immerse in Kyoto’s rich Zen heritage.

Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • 15-chōme-795 Honmachi - Discover the art of Zen meditation at one of Kyoto’s five prominent Zen temples. Gain valuable insights into the practice of zazen or Zen meditation with guidance from a local expert. Delight in the serene Zen garden (dry landscape garden) accompanied by a guide’s informative commentary. Savor a traditional Buddhist meal, a…
What's Included
  • Shojin traditional meal
  • Certified guide by MagicalTrip
  • Lunch
  • Entrance fee for all venues
  • Zazen Meditation Experience (1 hour)
  • Photos during the tour
Additional Information

Join a tour with MagicalTrip, the proud recipient of the Tripadvisor Best of the Best Award. Each tour is guided by a MagicalTrip Certified Guide, who is professionally trained and carefully chosen to ensure both quality and authenticity.
What does Zen truly signify? On this tour, a local guide will introduce participants to the essence of Zen before…

Location
FamilyMart Nakai Tofukuji
Outside of Tofukuji Station EXIT 2, Next to the Family Mart [From Kyoto stn. to Tofukuji stn.] JR line:You can use both rapid trains and local trains. [From Shijyo keihan to Tofukuji station] Keihan line : You can use sub-express, semi express and local trains. Please DO NOT USE express trains.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(537 Ratings)
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4kirkm
May 31, 2026
Great Zen temple and meditation experience. - Fantastic tour and Zen meditation experience. Our guide, Yutaka, was exceptional. The temple tours themselves were a very Zen experience. Highly recommended!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Hamiltonm420
May 31, 2026
Zazen meditation - Very informative and helpful guide for zen meditation!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Roya_d
May 29, 2026
Our guide was waiting at... - Our guide was waiting at the meeting point for us. He explained everything truly and walk us to a very beautiful Pat and multiple temple. Then we went to one hour Zen, which was wonderful. The lunch was great vegan lunch very clean restaurant. I highly recommend our guide Yutaka Yoshida. He was excellent.
Review provided by Viator
Q5211rssebastianm
May 29, 2026
Meditation zen - Very good experience the guide was very friendly
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Flyer51525960014
May 28, 2026
Awesome day at Zen meditation. - We had a wonderful experience on this tour. Meetup was simple and straightforward, and our guide, Yutaka san was there early, waiting for us. The tour of the sub temples were peaceful, and Yutaka san spoke excellent English. The English booklet was so nice to have during the Meditation and the vegan lunch delicious. Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mara_k
May 24, 2026
Mom and two daughters - zen beginners - Yutaka was a fantastic guide! We really enjoyed out day with him, strolling the grounds of Tofukuji, seeing a zen garden, navigating a meditation class and toppings it off with a delicious lunch. We learned so much about the temple and the zen practice of meditation - had we tried to self guide or take the meditation class without his translation and gentle guidance - we would have had a fraction of the experience. He took photos for us too! Wow. Thank you Yutaka!
Review provided by Viator
Sydneynicola
May 23, 2026
Great Introduction to Zen Meditation - Mr. Yoshida was an excellent and knowledgeable guide. Throughout the tour he provided us with information about what we were seeing, paying particular attention to historical significance. Before the actual Zen meditation, he gave us a brief overview of what to expect. Inside the Zen meditation he once again explained the procedure and gave us English translations of what the monk would say. During the meditation he clued us into what pages of the handout we should read since the monk was officiating in Japanese Due to physical limitations, Mr. Yoshida provided one of us with a chair after finding sitting on the carpet too difficult. He also arranged for us to get a picture with the presiding monk at the end of the meditation. We learned quite a bit from this experience and credit Mr. Yoshida with making it an enjoyable as well as informative experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
777vishnua
May 22, 2026
Amazing experience - It was really an unique experience. 4 hrs flew by and the host - Yutaka was amazing.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jennifersloven
May 22, 2026
Experiencing and learning about Zen Buddhism - Yutaka was a wonderful guide and host! He was very knowledgeable about the area and history, he was very entertaining and friendly to all guests. Would definitely recommend him to anyone looking to learn more about Zen Buddhism and nearby temples and shrines.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
642gauril
May 22, 2026
Calming unique experience - Very unique, calming with tasty lunch
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $104
up to 7 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).