Temple, shrine & monastery tours
The 15 best temple tours you can book right now, with what each one costs, how long it runs and who it suits. Number one is first for a reason, so start there.
Review of Kyoto’s Ju-An tea ceremony at Jotokuji Temple, with matcha preparation, temple rituals, practical tips, price, and access details.
“Great Authentic experience. Loved both or host and tea master, everything was great.”
See Nara deer, Arashiyama, Kinkakuji, and Fushimi Inari in one bus day from Osaka or Kyoto, with an optional Kobe beef lunch.
“Nice trip and we had a funny guide Harry. We had beautiful day. Thank you”
Explore Asakusa, Sensoji Temple, Nakamise Street, and local food lanes on a two-hour guided Tokyo walking tour.
“A great tour, giving us an insight into the historical and cultural significance of the temple and surrounding markets. Our guide, Keiko was fun and friendly, and really knowledgeable. She gave us lots of good tips about how we can enjoy our trip to Japan not just in Asakusa, but around Tokyo and beyond. A really good introduction to Japan, would highly recommend.”
Review of Nikko’s 11-hour tour from Tokyo, covering Toshogu Shrine, Kegon Falls, Lake Chuzenji, lunch, transport, and practical tips.
“The tour was perfect! Our bus driver, Waku, was very kind and lovely, je drove us everywhere safely and calmly. Our tour guide, Beru, was amazing! He told us all about the places we visited were thoroughly, shared fun facts and local curiosities. He taught us a little japanese and some correct behaviors in Japan. We was open to all out doubts and explained everything with a lot of patiance and enthusiam. We had a long time to see everything, which was great. We were very happy with the day we had.”
Escape Tokyo for Nikko’s ornate Toshogu Shrine, Kegon Waterfall, Lake Chuzenji, and mountain views on a well-paced guided day trip.
“Temple is fantastic , so waterfall ; lake is nice but was raining ( some relief from too hot Tokyo )”
Review of Tokyo’s 9-hour panoramic tour with Meiji Shrine, Asakusa, Odaiba, Imperial Palace, lunch, and TOKYO SKYTREE®.
“Our tour guide Nancy Satchiko? (Bus 693) was so so. Difficult to understand and communicate with. Soft voice so you couldn’t hear her half the time, even standing up close. The overall tour did give an overview of Tokyo, but minimal information from the guide. It basically was taking you to the sites and limited information was given. Along the way between sites, there was minimal dialogue. The reason I say it depends on the guide is that the tour ended at Tokyo train station, but it started at Shinjuku train station. We initially decided to get off at the Tokyo Tower because it was closer to the Shinjuku station,…”
Review of Kyoto’s Arashiyama walking tour, covering bamboo, temples, gardens, Togetsukyo Bridge, and the Monkey Park hike.
“The glory of nature in the green bamboo forest and in the almost- autumn leaves of trees in the gardens! Our guide, Aron, had surprise stops for us, to sake tasting and the kimono park. We walked through alternative, less crowded routes and covered more sites without feeling rushed. A great guide, a great tour!”
See Nagano’s Zenko-ji Temple, taste local sake, enjoy hot pot, and meet wild snow monkeys on this well-planned full-day tour.
“Fantastic Snow Monkey experience. The visit to the temple and sake tasting were a bonus. Lunch was really good and enjoyed the food and atmosphere. Definitely bring comfortable shoes with good traction. The path is super icy so definitely buy the crampon spikes they sell at the gift shop. The bonus of going with this tour is that they provide tickets and you can bypass the long ticket line. The hike up to see the monkeys is a hike so be prepared. Overall a great experience and the guides were great and knowledgeable. Definitely will recommend to friends and family.”
A five-hour Arashiyama walking tour covering bamboo, temples, gardens, monkeys, Kyoto views, and optional local sake tasting.
“Fantastic activity and special shout out to our guide, Francis. Pleasure to have him taking us round today, personable and knowledgeable.”
Review of Nagano’s snow monkey, Zenkoji Temple, sake and lunch day trip, with practical tips on timing, walking, winter gear and value.
“Had a great day Dylan was an outstanding guide very informative and polite he made the day most enjoyable. Tour good value and great experience.”
Review of Kyoto’s Arashiyama tour with Tenryu-ji, bamboo forest, matcha, Togetsukyo Bridge, and Monkey Park.
“That authentic matcha tea break was such a lovely cultural touch. The traditional preparation and pure flavor really enhanced our understanding of Japanese tea ceremony. Perfect refreshing moment before the monkey park hike adventure.”
See Arashiyama, Nara Park, and Fushimi Inari in one day, with Kobe beef shabu-shabu lunch and transport from Osaka or Kyoto.
“Gary's kindness and attentiveness were highly appreciated. The itinerary was consistently adhered to, and the destinations were exceptional, with Gary's recommendations proving valuable.”
See Kyoto’s four essential sights in one day, with an English guide, coach transport, optional lunch, and temple admission.
“our guide Eiko was amazing! spoke excellent English and gave lots of information about the places we were seeing. it is a very big day thou so make sure you wear good walking shoes! the spots we went to were beautiful. while it would be nice to have more time at each place to really soak it all in, the time is sufficient to enjoy the sights while still making most of the day. the bus is a little cramp for legroom (I'm 165cm tall and my knees touched the seat in front) not uncomfortable though, just not as much room as I was expecting. again thou a really great…”
Review Ninnaji Temple in Kyoto, with Omuro sakura, gardens, pilgrimage route, museum access, seasonal tips, and practical ticket advice.
Review of Kyoto’s 9-hour highlights tour, covering six major temples and shrines by comfortable coach, with guide, transport, and lunch options.
“Finding our guide tucked in the basement of a department store. We srarted out 1 hour early and needed every minute to figure out the location.”
