Fuchinobo

Thank you for the wonderful experience. The best way you can spend a day/night in Zenkoji is to stay at a temple along this road because they offer and guide you through several Buddhist activities. I was very surprised by how clean and maintained this properly was. The bathroom is shared on the floor, (very clean with "western" toilets that are automatic). Even the faucet is censored. They have a public bath which looks recently renovated, in fact, the cleanest tiles I've ever seen. Fuchinobo offers sutra copying the day of your arrival, which involves lightning incense and copying characters in front of a Buddha statue in a private prayer room. Taking that paper home will be the best souvenir. This temple also will write a seal in your personal notebook. Doesn't have to be a goshuincho. The morning prayer (which I believe is mandatory and happens at sunrise) will be your best experience. You will get a brief history of Zenkoji and the architecture, bow to the priest as he arrives, listen to the prayers, and then walk through a dark hallway under the temple. For an extra 5000 yen, they will say your name and pray for you, and you will be brought up to the stage. You'll get a souvenir paper and charm. An English guide is provided.

We stayed here for one night (reservated via mail with translation tool) and had the Shojin vegan Buddhist dinner and breakfast served into our room. The taste was incredibly new and good, perfect vegan food! I can recommend it to everyone. But please be aware you need to stay there at least one night to try the food, it is a temple, not a restaurant. Also you will be expected to participate in the prayer ceremony of Zenko-ji in the morning at 6am.

We had an enjoyable stay at Fuchinobo. Hosts were lovely, the food was amazing, delighting many senses, and the experience was fantastic. Highly recommend for those wanting to experience Japanese Buddhist traditions.

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.