Tokyo: Private Zen Meditation with a Monk & Matcha

Step inside a working Zen temple in Tokyo and experience zazen with guidance from a Buddhist monk.

This 90-minute experience takes place at Yougakuji, a Rinzai Zen temple of the Myoshinji school in Fukagawa.

Founded in 1637, the temple has watched over the neighborhood for nearly four centuries and today welcomes international visitors for Zen meditation experiences.

Rather than treating meditation as a wellness exercise alone, this experience introduces zazen within the Buddhist tradition and temple environment where it belongs.

Learn how to sit, how to breathe, and how to approach the practice before spending time in meditation yourself.

Afterward, ask questions about Zen, hear about related practices such as shakyo, and finish with a simple serving of matcha and a small sweet.

Enter a real Zen temple in Fukagawa

Meet your Alva Japan Tours host at Yougakuji.

The temple belongs to the Rinzai school’s Myoshinji branch and was founded in 1637. Its official website describes it as a Zen temple that has remained connected with Fukagawa for roughly 400 years.

Yougakuji also currently accepts Zen meditation programs for international visitors, making this an operating temple experience rather than a recreated meditation attraction.

Meet a monk and learn what zazen is

Begin with an introduction from the monk.

Rather than immediately trying to “empty your mind,” first learn the physical foundations of zazen.

Depending on the session, the monk may introduce:

• Sitting posture

• Placement of the legs

• Position of the hands

• Alignment of the body

• Breathing

• Where to direct your gaze

• What to do when thoughts arise

The exact teaching style follows the monk leading your session.

Find a comfortable sitting position

Traditional Zen practice uses seated meditation, but beginners should not force themselves into a painful posture.

Tell the guide in advance if you have concerns about your knees, hips, or back.

Support cushions may be provided according to the confirmed session setup.

Any promise of chair meditation should only be added after confirming it specifically with Yougakuji.

Begin with a short practice

Start with a shorter period of zazen so you can become familiar with the posture and quiet environment.

The purpose is not to perform meditation perfectly.

Notice your posture, breathing, physical sensations, sounds, and thoughts as they arise.

Experience a longer zazen session

After becoming more comfortable, continue into the main period of meditation.

Zazen is a central practice within Zen traditions, and Myoshinji officially presents firsthand practices such as zazen, sutra copying, and Dharma talks as ways to experience Zen rather than only understand it intellectually.

The exact meditation length should follow the session agreed with the temple.

Learn about the keisaku

Depending on the monk and session, you may also be introduced to the traditional keisaku, sometimes translated as an encouragement stick.

If it is offered during the Alva program, participation must remain completely optional.

The public listing should not imply that every guest will receive it or that it is required to practice zazen.

Discover Zen beyond sitting

After meditation, learn about other Buddhist practices connected with temple life.

One example is shakyo, the practice of copying Buddhist sutras.

Myoshinji describes shakyo as copying the teachings contained in Buddhist scriptures and maintains its own sutra-copying practice today.

This 90-minute product currently introduces shakyo culturally; it does not include a full sutra-copying workshop unless specifically added to the confirmed program.

Ask questions directly

Take time after the meditation to reflect and ask questions.

Topics may include:

• What Zen means in everyday life

• Why Buddhists practice zazen

• How monks approach meditation

• What to do when concentration disappears

• Buddhist temple life

• Shakyo and other temple practices

A bilingual Alva Japan Tours host can support communication when needed.

Finish with matcha and a sweet

Close the experience with a simple serving of matcha and a small seasonal sweet according to the confirmed Alva program.

This should not be advertised as a Japanese tea ceremony unless an actual tea-ceremony procedure is being performed.

The purpose here is to sit, relax, and reflect after meditation rather than take part in a formal chanoyu lesson.

Leave with a different understanding of meditation

This experience is not about promising stress relief, enlightenment, or a specific mental state.

The goal is to experience zazen in its temple context, learn directly from a monk, and leave with a clearer understanding of how Zen practice fits within Japanese Buddhist culture.