wonderful stay at the temple. Modern facilities, but right in the middle of all that history! makes you feel goose bumpy!!! there are no frills, but a great place to stay in Kyoto! a ten min metro ride to the main station, close to all the main attractions, and a lovely lil breakfast room ! free wifi :))))

We booked a temple lodging, thinking that we might be sleeping with the monks in a common room. Well, it was not like that that at all, it turned out very nice! The place is new, and the rooms are clean, simple, and well functioning. The receptionist was extraordinary kind, gentle girl, who even spoke some indonesian words upon finding... More

I guess my expectations were too low! Shunkoin Temple Guesthouse really surprised me with how pleasant it was. Their new guesthouse opened in ?December? and it has quite modern design, although with a tatami mat room. The walls might still be a bit thin, as I could hear my neighbor talking on the phone, but simply turning on the heater... More

If I knew what kind of setting it's gonna be - I would have definitely made my stay in Shunkoin Temple longer! We didn't had any trouble to find a place and we were lucky to come for traditional green tea time with nice intro of its meaning - usually you would get it after meditation session. Get ready for... More

We had a bit of trouble finding the train from Kyoto station to Shunkoin (it's downstairs for those that need to know!) and it was pouring with summer rain while we dragged our big wheelie bags across gravel and cobblestones. At one point I stood with our son, huddled in the downpour, swearing in an extremely un-zen-like way while hubby... More

My husband and I made reservations for 3 nights w/ Taka @ Shunkoin Temple in May of 2012. After being there one night we extended our stay another night, not because we wanted to see more of Kyoto, but because we enjoyed it there so much. Taka's morning meditaions were very informative and unlike other reveiwers we never felt pressured... More

We stayed here for three nights in April 2012 and loved the tranquil environment of the temple complex. The meditation class offered by the English-speaking vice-abbot was very good, and free bicycle rentals were an added plus. I would not recommend the private rooms though unless you are a light sleeper, hard of hearing or don't care about audio privacy.... More

We stayed one night at Shunkoin and really appreciated the chance to stay in the amazing temple complex of which Shunkoin is a part. The temple is in a lovely part of Kyoto - we enjoyed walking to Kinkakuji and Ryoanji, and had a fantastic dinner at Raku Raku like many other reviewers. The complementary meditation class with Rev Taka... More

I spent nearly 2 weeks at Shunkoin Temple Guest House in 3/12 and it was perfect. One of the best aspects of staying here is the morning Zen Buddhist meditation sessions with Taka. He speaks excellent English and is a wealth of information about Kyoto, Japanese Rinzai Zen Buddhims and Japanese culture. Request one of the rooms with the bathroom... More