Private multi-day tour · Multi-day from Tokyo
From Tokyo: 3-Day Mt Hiei Temple Stay Customizable Tour
Stay two nights at Enryakuji on Mt Hiei, a UNESCO site, with zazen, sutra copying, morning prayers and plant-based temple meals, plus the Sakamoto stone walls.
Private · your group only◆3 days◆Up to 6 guests◆Pickup included
Road-day snapshot
This is your private tour, so the route is flexible: tell us if you want to skip a stop, stay longer somewhere or add a place nearby.
The experience
A private journey, thoughtfully paced
Enryakuji on Mt Hiei, above Kyoto and Lake Biwa, is the head temple of the Tendai school of Buddhism. It was founded over 1,200 years ago, and many founders of later Buddhist schools trained here. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You stay two nights at Enryakuji Kaikan, the temple lodging on the mountain. Your lodging, dinner and breakfast are included. Meals are shojin ryori, plant-based temple food, with no meat or fish. The meals are vegetarian but not halal certified.
With your guide you visit the three areas of the temple: Todo, Saito and Yokawa, linked by forest paths and cedar trees. Temple entry is included. The great Konpon Chudo hall is under a long renovation, so parts are covered. You also join a zazen meditation session and shakyo, copying a sutra with a brush. Both are included. Early in the morning you can join the morning prayers.
At the foot of the mountain is Sakamoto, a temple town known for its stone walls built by the Anou masons, who stacked natural stones without mortar. We walk the lanes and see the walls.
This is a private tour. Only your group. One family or group of 1 to 6 people per van, never shared with strangers. Your driver-guide speaks English, and also Hindi and Urdu.
If the Enryakuji temple stay is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead stay at another temple lodging near Mt Hiei or Sakamoto, with the same zazen and temple visits.
DAY 1 Hotel pickup in Tokyo and drive to Sakamoto (about 6 hours). Walk the Anou stone walls, then up Mt Hiei to check in at Enryakuji Kaikan.
DAY 2 Morning prayers, then Todo, Saito and Yokawa, with zazen and shakyo sessions.
DAY 3 Morning prayers and breakfast at the temple, and the drive back to your Tokyo hotel.
Choose with confidence
Is this the right journey for your group?
Excellent fit if
- Stay two nights inside the temple grounds of Enryakuji
- Join zazen meditation and shakyo sutra copying
- Attend early morning prayers on Mt Hiei
- Eat plant-based shojin ryori temple meals
- Walk the dry-stone Anou walls of Sakamoto town
Said plainly
Temple lodging follows temple rules. Please be quiet, on time and dress modestly. Meals are plant-based. They are vegetarian but not halal certified. The Konpon Chudo hall is under renovation until about 2027. Day 1 and Day 3 include drives of about 6 hours. If the Enryakuji temple stay is closed or cancelled on your date, you can take a full refund of your booking, guaranteed. If you prefer, we can instead stay at another temple lodging near Mt Hiei or Sakamoto, with the same zazen and temple visits. Dietary needs can be added in the booking form.
Your day
Suggested itinerary
Times are approximate. Your driver-guide adjusts the order for traffic, weather, opening hours and the best light.
Stay two nights inside the temple grounds of Enryakuji
Join zazen meditation and shakyo sutra copying
Attend early morning prayers on Mt Hiei
Eat plant-based shojin ryori temple meals
Walk the dry-stone Anou walls of Sakamoto town
What is covered
What you see is what you pay
Ours — included
- Private van and English-speaking driver-guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in central Tokyo
- All parking, fuel and road tolls
- Two nights temple lodging at Enryakuji Kaikan with dinner and breakfast
- Entry to Enryakuji (Todo, Saito and Yokawa)
- Zazen meditation session
- Shakyo sutra copying session
Yours — paid on the day
- Meals and drinks unless listed as included
- Gratuities, which are never expected in Japan
- Optional lunches on Day 2 and Day 3
- Optional souvenirs and temple charms
Good to know
Before you book
Languages
English, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi
Pickup
Pickup and drop-off at your Tokyo hotel or accommodation (23 wards).
Group and vehicle
Private for up to 6 guests. Enter adults, children, infants and child seats separately at booking.
Dietary and mobility needs
Halal, vegetarian, allergy, walking or other practical requests go in your booking notes and are planned before the day.
Questions
Frequently asked
Can we change the route on the day?
Yes. It is a private tour in our own van, so your driver-guide can skip, extend or add stops where time allows.
Is the price per person?
No. The price is for your whole private group of up to 6 people, including the van, fuel, tolls, parking and your driver-guide.
What is the cancellation policy?
Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for an automatic full refund to the original payment method. Within 24 hours, contact us directly so we can help. If a typhoon or official weather warning stops the trip, we offer a new date or a full refund. For a GetYourGuide booking, the terms shown on that booking apply.
Somewhere else in mind?
Any destination in Japan
If this route is not exactly what you need, tell us the destination, dates and group. We confirm the plan and the exact price before any payment is taken.
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From¥451,000
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