Ryutakuzenji 宿坊

Everything was wonderful. We were warmly greeted by the head monk and his staff. The facilities were amazing and the rooms gorgeous. The futons were comfortable and the food was genuinely the best we have had in Japan. Turns out the priest was trained as a chef in Kyoto. They were great catering to our vegan and gluten free needs.

Property was spotless. Host was extremely kind and inviting. An amazing experience staying in a building adjacent to the temple.

Not applicable.

Meditate at 7 am in the temple

We liked everything. The place was fabulous. The room was beautiful, with an outside bath. The food (dinner and breakfast) was exceptional and homemade. The staff was so nice! We had the whole place to ourselves; it was perfect. We tried the meditation experience and received a tour of the temple. It was a truly unique experience. Everything was perfect. It was the last night of our trip; we could not have hoped for anything better. Thank you so much! We wished we had stayed longer.

While the location was a bit out of the way (roughly 25min drive from Takasaki station), it was in a beautiful and quiet spot surrounded by cherry blossoms in full bloom. The room we had was the biggest out of all the places we stayed in Japan, was clean and comfortable, and had a private garden with covered deck and outdoor bath, which was absolute bliss after the hustle and bustle of Tokyo. The hospitality shown to us by the staff was exceptional, and we had no problem communicating through limited Japanese/English. They served traditional meals, which were beautifully presented and a delight to eat, having small servings of lots of different things. We made use of the free bicycles and had a great time exploring the area while getting a bit of exercise.

It was really family friendly! The staff was amazing. We had a great time on the bikes and ended up going on a picnic ❤️ I really recommend this place if you want a little rest from all the crazyness of the city

Nothing that I can think of

Tendon-san and his team were wonderful. So warm, friendly and fun. Our kids felt very welcome here and loved the whole experience. The cooking was amazing! So delicious. We could have stayed longer just to eat. Everything tasted incredible, especially the sukiyaki which was so soft and melted in your mouth. We all also loved the beautiful spacious room and outdoor bath. The rooms truly look like all the photos, if not better. And then there’s the temple. What a special place. No photo could really capture how Ryutakuzenji feels. You might just have to visit :)

Nothing. Leaving was the hardest part.

Spacious room, simple decor, spotless. Very well-maintained buildings and grounds. Very civilised jazz piped through public spaces. Lovely food. Great drinks bar, coffee/tea/sweets/filtered water complimentary. Staff were charming.

Heating remote control difficult to fathom - staff member kindly helped. Did I miss an English translation somewhere? Position of the toilet lacks privacy in the quadruple room. Bedlinen could be a more cheerful colour…brown sheets… Strange machine noises before dinner, but it had stopped after dinner.

Beautiful temple stay. Food was really good. Nice outdoor bath as well. Nice to do a meditation in the temple in de morning.