Temple Hotel Kannonin

The temple activities were a real highlight. We joined the morning prayer and drawing meditation, and both were great. Our beautiful tatami room had a private zen garden and an open-air bath, with a lovely moss garden in the courtyard to look out on. The kitchen was fully equipped too. I’d gladly come back.

After two nights, I was wishing we could stay longer and take in more of the hotel’s natural beauty. It’s such a peaceful, lovely place, and the futon gave me the best sleep of my life. I wish I had one at home 😔😔😔. I’d definitely look forward to staying here again, and recommend visiting at least once.

The temple stay sounds like a lovely idea, and supporting the temple appealed to us, but the experience was so disappointing that at this price, with reviews like the ones already posted, I’d call it a tourist trap. We booked two nights and left a day early. Maybe it could suit religious visitors with a connection to the local deities, or people who generally don’t like being around others. The accommodation is Spartan. It felt like a cheap guest room on temple grounds, rather than part of the temple. No one greeted us when we arrived, though the door had been left ajar. That might be acceptable for an Airbnb-style place, but we could hear people around doing things without ever seeing or speaking with anyone. Signs telling us to keep quiet were everywhere, and made us feel like intruders instead of guests. It was the first time in Japan I’d experienced no hospitality at all. We arrived in winter to a cold room, with nobody having turned on the heat. The old climate control took ages to warm it up at all. There was also a kerosene heater with a horrible smell. It seemed unsafe to use without airing out the room, and that warning was only written in Japanese. The outdoor bath looked like it had free-flowing water in the photos, but it was shut off, so you have to heat the water yourself. It’s right beside the street, just behind a wooden fence, so you may not want to use it anyway. The glamorous photos aren’t trustworthy: there was no bed, just a futon we had to set up ourselves, and no romantic garden lighting. It may have been switched off while we were there. The breakfast we had was a mediocre bento box at a premium price, and even the rice was hard. When we decided to leave early, the place was so remote we didn’t know how to get out of there. We don’t speak Japanese, so calling a taxi wasn’t an option. There was an emergency number posted all over, but nobody answered or called back. I doubt they even noticed we’d left, on foot.

The monks were friendly and helped us when we had trouble getting our access code from Expedia. There wasn’t regular check-in staff, which makes sense since this isn’t a hotel. We had a lovely, quiet stay. The dining area beside the garden is beautiful, and the kitchen has everything you need, so with the right groceries you don’t really have to leave the building. Bikes are available in the car park across from the main gate, though Kiryu station is only a 20-minute walk. There’s a mega donki near the station where you can find what you need. We wished our three nights had been longer. You can get up at 6am for morning prayers, do sutra copying and calligraphy mid-morning, soak in the outdoor tub around noon, then relax by the garden in the afternoon. We loved the peaceful routine.