The 15 Best Zen Meditation Sessions in Kyoto

Kyoto Zen Meditation & Garden Tour at a Zen Temple with Lunch - Walking through Tofukuji’s Zen setting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 441 reviews · from $110Our pick

Walk Kyoto’s Tofukuji temples, learn zazen from a monk, admire a Zen garden, and enjoy a traditional Buddhist lunch in a small group.

“I highly recommend this tour. It was probably one of our most memorable moments in Kyoto. Hikari was our guide. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the different temples, the organization of them and the history. The tour felt very calm and meditative just from her demeanor and voice. The best part of the tour was the one hour meditation. The monk who led the meditation only spoke Japanese, so Hikari prepped us before with what to expect. There was a brief break in the middle, and she also translated for us some of the additional tips and history he shared. At the end, the monk came over and spoke with…”

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Kyoto Temple Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Tour Reviews

Kyoto: Zen Experience in a Hidden Temple

2.Zen Experience in a Hidden Temple

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 437 reviews · 2 hours · from $109

Practice zazen with a Zen abbot, learn matcha etiquette, and enjoy seasonal sweets in a 400-year-old garden at Jusho-in Temple.

“This was a great activity. Very kind, sincere guides and chief monk. There was ample time for asking questions and for practicing meditation. Much enjoyed!”

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Kyoto Matcha Experiences, Kyoto Tea Ceremony Experiences, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Tour Reviews

Kyoto: Tea Ceremony Meditation – Make Matcha with Tea Master

3.Tea Ceremony Meditation – Make Matcha with Tea Master

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 406 reviews · 45 min · from $45

Learn to prepare matcha with an English-speaking tea master in a 100-year-old Kyoto townhouse, with sweets, artisan tools, and small groups.

“It was really unique experience in my life. I am so glad that guide had a lot knowledge and let us know whole story behind of matcha!! It was not only a ceremony, we had fun a lot together and tea was so delicious at all!!”

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Kyoto Temple Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Private, Tour Reviews

Kyoto: Zen Meditation at a Private Temple with a Monk

4.Zen Meditation at a Private Temple with a Monk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 202 reviews · 1h 30m · from $91

Practice Zazen with a monk at a private Kyoto temple, enjoy matcha and gardens, and learn about Zen in a calm 90-minute session.

“Nice guide and friendly monk. Very good to get to know the life in a monastery.”

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Kyoto Garden Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Private, Tour Reviews

Kyoto: Zen Garden, Zen Mind (Private)

5.Zen Garden, Zen Mind (Private)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 126 reviews

Explore Kyoto’s Zen gardens with designer Andrew, visiting Konchi-in, Tenjuan, and Nanzen-ji on a thoughtful private walking tour.

“It was a real eye-opening and insightful experience regarding Japanese aesthetics. If you have any question about Japanese religion, history or gardening, Andrew will surely answer it. He tells not only data but points out correlations too. Andrew's personality proves that he not only preaches but also lives Zen.”

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Cycling Tours, Kyoto Temple Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Lunch Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

4.5-Hour Kyoto Bike Tour with Lunch and UNESCO Zen Temples

6.4.5-Hour Kyoto Bike Tour with Lunch and UNESCO Zen Temples

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 122 reviews · from $99

Cycle Kyoto’s temples, Kamogawa River, Gion streets, and a traditional lunch in a small English-speaking group.

“I had a great day biking around Kyoto with Yusuke! I wasn’t expecting it to be a private tour but that was a nice surprise because I could go at my own pace. Yusuke was a super friendly and knowledgeable guide - he made sure I was comfoRead more”

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Kyoto Garden Tours, Kyoto Temple Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Lunch Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto: Zen Meditation and Garden Tour at a Temple with Lunch

7.Zen Meditation and Garden Tour at a Temple with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★4.9 · 86 reviews · 4h 30m · from $107

Practice zazen with a monk, tour Kyoto Zen gardens, and enjoy a traditional Buddhist lunch in a small English-speaking group.

“We really enjoy the experience and our guide Yutaka was really funny and made us have good fun. thank you!”

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Arashiyama Bamboo Grove Tours, Guided, Kyoto Temple Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours

Kyoto: Arashiyama Guided Tour, Bamboo, Monkey, Zen Temple

8.Arashiyama Guided Tour, Bamboo, Monkey, Zen Temple

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 26 reviews · 3 hours · from $74

Review of Kyoto’s 3-hour Arashiyama tour with bamboo, Tenryu-ji, Togetsukyo Bridge, wild macaques, and Kyoto views for $74.

“Our tour guide was a great resource in learning about the history about the bamboo forest and the temple. She was very knowledgeable and a wonderful hostess!”

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Kyoto Temple Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Private, Tour Reviews

Kyoto: Zen Meditation at a Private Temple with a Monk

9.Zen Meditation at a Private Temple with a Monk

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 25 reviews · from $98

Practice Zen meditation with a monk at a private Kyoto temple, then enjoy matcha, traditional snacks, and a small-group cultural lesson.

“Very authentic private-like experience. Great translation and very educatuonal. Didn't think I'd need to go to japan to learn how to sit upright correctly. Meditation practice put into a good metaphor.”

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Fushimi Inari Shrine Tours, Guided, Kyoto Garden Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Tour Reviews, Tours, Walking Tours

Kyoto Guided Walking Tour: Secret Zen Garden and Fushimi Inari

10.Kyoto Guided Walking Tour: Secret Zen Garden and Fushimi Inari

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 17 reviews · from $78

Explore Tofukuji’s quiet Zen garden and Fushimi Inari’s torii gates on a small-group Kyoto walking tour with a local guide.

“The guide was amazing --- She explained everything so it was easy to understand and was great when we asked her questions about the history. Her route was full of interesting places and the beautiful secret garden was so relaxing. She really made it a Morning to remember.”

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Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Morning, Tour Reviews

Morning Zen Meditation at a Kyoto Café

11.Morning Zen Meditation at a Kyoto Café

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 11 reviews · from $18

Start your Kyoto morning with Rinzai Zen meditation, mantra chanting, zazen, and single-origin coffee in a tiny machiya café.

“solo female traveller here - wanting something different/new? do this!! it’s the perfect start to your morning. Uyesugi is so calm, informative and knowledgeable. He will guide you through zen meditation and then make you an amazing singleRead more”

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Evening Experiences, Kyoto Temple Tours, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Tour Reviews

Candlelit Zen: Evening Meditation at Kyoto’s Secret Temple

12.Candlelit Zen: Evening Meditation at Kyoto’s Secret Temple

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · 1h 10m

Find calm at a private Kyoto temple with candlelit Zazen, a monk-led lesson, garden views, tea, and a quiet look at Zen practice.

“Everything was perfect ! Appreciate the communication over WhatsApp to make it easy and efficient to find. Loved that we were a small group of 4. Our monk was INCREDIBLE! The candlelight and moss garden was everything !”

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Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Tour Reviews

Zen Meditation for Life in Kyoto

13.Zen Meditation for Life in Kyoto

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 10 reviews · from $108

Learn Zen meditation privately with cleric Brian Victoria in a Kyoto machiya, combining history, seated and walking practice, tea, and a sweet.

“Very informative A little information overload but really good experience Not a tourist trap Really gave me food for thought”

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Kyoto Matcha Experiences, Kyoto Zen Meditation Experiences, Tour Reviews, Uji Tours

Kyoto Hidden Riverside Zen Mediation and Uji Matcha Experience

14.Kyoto Hidden Riverside Zen Mediation and Uji Matcha Experience

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 9 reviews · from $105

Practice riverside zazen with an English-speaking guide, then enjoy Uji matcha and wagashi in a calm Kyoto setting.

“If you are thinking about doing this experience while in Kyoto, take this review as your sign that you should register right now. This has been the highlight of our trip, amongst some very notable experiences. Highly recommend!!!”

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