Living in Temples

By Tom Westin

It's possible to visit both historic and remote areas of Japan by staying in one of the hundreds of shukubo, temples or monasteries, which open their doors to foreign visitors wishing to experience a monastic experience firsthand.

In the past, acceptance into Japanese monastaries required kneeling at the front gate for three days without sleeping. Now, all that's required is a phone call or e-mail; shukubo open their doors to all visitors, Buddhist or not.

Guests observe the religious rules, which may include dietary restrictions and meditation or silence during certain periods of the day. The daily schedule at a typical temple fosters calmness and reflection through a relaxed sense of order. The day begins before dawn with sutra chanting, or zazen meditation in the case of Zen temples.

I've met travelers who had made pilgrimages throughout Japan, stopping at many temples along the way; some stay at one temple several months. About half of the visitors are curious foreigners.

Many temples offer weeklong sesshin several times a year. In those periods of intense meditation, combined with little sleep, monks meditate on enigmatic riddle-like koans, then try to explain them to a zen master. The answer must come spontaneously and cannot be expressed in words. Although sesshin are primarily for the monks, laypeople from the community are often welcome to attend.

The Kyoto Tourist Information Center (www.jnto.go.jp/bkk/ktic/index2.html) and the Tokyo Tourist Information Center (www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/public/tokyo_tocho.html) both publish English language handouts on shukubo in their respective cities. Nara City provides information on only one shibuko that accepts foreigners. All this information can be obtained from a Japanese National Tourist Office in North America (212-757-5641, fax 212-307-6754; jntonyc@interport.net, www.jnto.go.jp), before you go, or from the local TICs in Japan.

The Zen Guide by Martin Roth (Weatherhill, 1985) includes an extensive listing of shukubo welcoming foreigners interested in Zen. However, the book is nearly 15 years old and many of the temple lodges mentioned may have changed their policies. A more current source on Zen temples is the Honsenji Zen Center near Kyoto; www.zazen.or.jp/zencenter-e.html.

TOM WESTIN is an English teacher and travel writer in Japan.