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Day Trip to Eihei-ji
Explore the fascinating temple complex of Eihei-ji for an insight into Buddhism.
Eihei-ji, meaning the temple of eternal peace, is the headquarters of the Soto sect of Buddhism, with 15,000 branch temples nationwide. It was originally built by the Buddhist monk Dogen in the 13th century. Amid a forest of cedar trees the vast temple precinct, covering an area of some 330,000 square meters, is home to seven monasteries which are surrounded by over 70 doyo halls connected by corridors. Even today, some 200 monks live at Eihei-ji. For the visitor it is a moving experience to see the priests go about their strict ascetic practice with spiritual devotion.
Before visiting the temple, we suggest reading Eat, Sleep, Sit by Kaoru Nonomura, a Japanese business man who quit his job in Tokyo and went to undergo training at Eihei-ji for a year. The book is a fascinating account of daily life at the monastery.
For more information email us: [email protected] or call: + 44 117 244 3380
A quick note about our experiences: Our experiences are designed to be part of a complete, tailor-made travel package and are not available to book individually. This allows us to ensure every detail – from accommodation to transport – is perfectly coordinated for you. If you're interested in one of these experiences, we'd love to help you build a full itinerary around it!
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