Fuchinobo

Wonderful, unforgettable , the true Japan, in a splendid traditional house. The food is amazing with the I don’t know how many plates. The room are comfortable and spacious. In the early morning, temple visit with prayers. Easy parking. I will certainly come back.

If you want to stay in Nagano, you want to stay here. Zenkouji Fuchinobo is situated at the entrance gates of Zenkoji Temple on a street lined with historic, stunning, magical temples... It was one of the most peaceful, spiritual stays we've ever had in Japan. Snow was beginning to fall and it seemed like we were in a fairytale because of the magic of this place. We stayed on the top floor, overlooking the snow-filled street, and the room was absolutely gorgeous. We slept so soundly here, with the most comfortable futons, and our bellies full from the most exceptional meal. We were served Shojin Ryori cuisine, Buddhist vegetarian food, and for me as a vegetarian... It was a dream! My husband is not vegetarian and it was one of his most favorite meals in Japan. We were able to enjoy a private onsen to ourselves because we were the only guests at this time. We also enjoyed the early morning meditation service at Zenkoji with a wonderful English-speaking guide. We were welcomed by the staff with such service, care, and kindness during our stay here. Thank you for making our stay so special in every way!

We wrote to Fuchinobo in Nagano to request for one night stay, we were pleasantly surprised by quick and positive reply.||Took the Shinkansen to Nagano and short taxi ride to Zenkouji entrance, the cute temple ryokan was right there, less than 1 minute walk from taxi drop off.||Room was huge, we had two room with separate sleeping and eating areas. Bed futon was thin compare to others, dinner was served in the room with nice varieties of vegetarian dishes. Service was impeccable. BTW, there was no private bathroom so we had to walk down the corridor in the middle of night when nature calls.||Next morning we were greeted by volunteers who kindly showed us the temple and helped us participated in the morning service. Three nicest ladies who were so proud to share the temple history with us. Zenkeuji was gorgeous but a bit on the commercial side with too many shops and vending machines all around the 1600 year old establishment. ||Overall, this is a very unique and precious experience, vastly different from the conventional hotels.

Well what can I say. ‘Speechless’|We enjoy traveling and experiencing cultures and enjoy sightseeing. This Buddhist dwelling is as traditional as it can get and completely different to what a tourist usually stays in. A small dwelling of maybe 3/4 rooms traditional kitted out. The toilet is outside the room but on the same floor. The hot bath (private) is located in the basement. Staff are very welcoming and polite, the food although vegetarian was well presented and ample. Location is excellent, only 1 minutes walk to the Zenko-Ji Temple. A must stay.

This had to have been in our top two favorite places we stayed while on our honeymoon in Japan!! You are literally just outside the main gate to Zenkoji Temple and easily within walking distance to many shops and restaurants. The staff is exceptional and incredibly friendly and hospitable. If you are concerned about any language barrier, don't be! We were able to communicate and if worse comes to worse, use pictures! We ended up being the only guests there for the evening which made our stay very special. Our room had beautiful views overlooking the main temple road and the stunning snowy mountains. The Shojin Ryori cuisine is all vegetarian and is TO DIE FOR! The presentation, quality and taste are all 100/100. We would definitely stay here again!! One heads up, there are some strict curfew rules that you should be aware of. Dinner is served at about 6:00pm and the baths close at 9:00pm. You are also not allowed to leave the inn after 9:00pm. There is an early morning service at Zenkoji that we participated in and would highly recommend to everyone. It is a very special experience!! You will have an english speaking guide who is very knowledgeable and helpful! This place is truly something special and we felt very fortunate to be able to stay here. Would highly recommend, but be aware that you are sleeping on futons and not beds.

If you ever have the opportunity to do this do it!!! I would rate this as one of the highlights of my trip. It was a next level experience. The food was just amazing!!

If you are looking for a stay in a traditional Japanese style room, then this is the place. The rooms are gorgeous and extremely close to the main temple. Breakfast and dinner are served in your private tatami floor dinning/sitting room and you sleep next door on tatami floor and a very comfortable futon.| You also have your own private bath with a mini hot spring pool down stairs. Relaxing in the warm waters after a long day of exploring the temple grounds and city felt great.| Included with staying at the Fuchinobo is a chance to observe the morning meditation ceremony put on by the monks who run the temple. I definitely recommend going, but dress warm because it gets pretty cold up at the temple. | The only reason I gave the Fuchinobo a 4 instead of a 5 was because they lock the doors sometime around 9pm. Me and my girlfriend tried to go out and walk the temple grounds and see the city but couldn't because we were locked in and couldn't leave, which was a bit of a bummer. However, even with that I still recommend to anyone who is staying in Nagano to stay at the Fuchinobo, at least for one night to get the experience.

I wanted to give my teenage son the experience of staying in an Shukubo (temple inn) but was concerned about our limited Japanese language skills. From the moment we arrived the staff at Zenkoji Fuchiinobo were friendly, hospitable and accommodating. We were there on a weeknight and our room was actually 3 spacious, tastefully decorated tatami rooms: a sitting room, a sleeping room and a dining room. The futons were comfortable and warm. The heating and WiFi worked well. The Shojin Ryori (vegetarian) dinner and breakfast were delicious, satisfying, and beautifully presented. The staff even arranged for an English speaking guide to take us to the early morning service at Zenkoji. Like everyone else we encountered in Nagano, our guide was gracious and knowledgeable. Our stay at Fuchinobo and visit to Zenkoji will be a cherished memory. ||A couple of notes: As a shukubo most of the guest rise early for the dawn service at Zenkoji. Dinner is served at about 6:00 pm and the baths close at 9:00 pm. I believe the front doors are also locked at that time. If you like to stay out late exploring the sights or stay up late in loud conversations a shukubo may not be right for you. The rooms are lovely but be aware there are shared bath facilities. Each floor has modern mens & womens toilets as well as rows of sinks.There are both a mens and womens onsen bathing facilities in the basement. All of the facilities are exceptionally clean and functional. Knowing we were foreigners, the staff was kind enough to reserve one of the baths for us for private use. ||Zenkoji in Nagano is a great place to stop over between Kanazawa and Tokyo. A nights stay in Fuchinobo or at least a Shojin Ryori meal will make the trip even more memorable.