Zazen Map Japan

Zazen Map Japan · Nagoya

Zazen in Nagoya

Aichi has more Buddhist temples than any other prefecture in Japan — 4,506 of them, against 3,350 in Osaka. Nagoya, at the centre of it, is a city where zazen is an ordinary weekly fixture rather than something laid on for visitors.

This page lists every public sitting we have on record in the city: 27 temples, 7 of which take you without a booking. Most are in Japanese, cost ¥300 to ¥500, and happen in the early morning or the evening.

  • 27temples listed
  • 7take you without booking
  • 4free or by donation
Open the map on Nagoya

Nagoya is not on most first visits to Japan, which is exactly why the sittings here are unhurried. At several temples you will be the only person who is not a regular, and that is treated as a good thing rather than an awkward one.

Things that are specific to Nagoya

  • Ōsu is the part of the city with foreign visitors in it. The covered shopping arcades around Ōsu Kannon are the one district in Nagoya where English is common, and Banshō-ji — a Sōtō Zen temple with a Sunday morning sitting — sits in the middle of them. If you are staying in Nagoya at all, you will probably end up in Ōsu anyway.
  • Nagoya sittings are cheap. ¥300 and ¥500 are the common prices, which is lower than Kyoto or Tokyo. Several are free.
  • Subway, not buses. Nagoya’s subway reaches most of these temples, and the Higashiyama and Meijō lines cover the majority of the list below. For a 6:00 or 7:00 am sitting, check the first train the night before.
  • The prefecture is worth the local train. Aichi’s temple count means a lot of what is available sits just outside the city. Those are listed separately lower down.

Temple counts are from the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Shūkyō Nenkan 2025 edition (as of 31 December 2024). They count religious corporations registered under the name of a temple, which includes temples with no resident priest — not all of them hold anything public.

Sittings you can just turn up to

No booking, no phone call. Arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time — many halls close the door once sitting has begun.

Hōgen-ji

Just turn upFree

When
1st Saturday of the month, 3:00–4:00 pm
Cost
Free
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone

Show on the map Temple website

Just turn upFree

When
Every Thursday, 6:00–7:00 am
Cost
Free
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

Tokugen-ji

Just turn up

When
Every Saturday, 6:00–8:00 pm
Cost
¥300
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Just turn up

When
2nd and 4th Sunday of the month, from 6:30 am
Cost
Ask the temple — see the Japanese below
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

Just turn upBeginners welcome

When
4th Saturday of the month, from 5:00 pm
Cost
¥500
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

Eihei-ji Nagoya Betsuin

Just turn up

When
2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, from 3:00 pm
Cost
¥500
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Just turn up

When
1st and 3rd Saturday of the month, from 7:00 pm
Cost
Ask the temple — see the Japanese below
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

Sittings to book or check first

These ask for contact in advance, or do not say either way. A short email in Japanese works better than a phone call — there is a template you can copy on the main English page.

Sōkichi-ji

Donation

When
Every Friday, from 6:00 pm
3rd Sunday of the month, from 1:30 pm (not in August)
Cost
Donation — give what you think is right
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Banshō-ji

When
Confirmed dates: Wed 23 Sep 2026, from 18:30
Thu 24 Sep 2026, from 18:30
Fri 25 Sep 2026, from 18:30
Sat 26 Sep 2026, from 18:30
Sun 27 Sep 2026, from 18:30
Mon 28 Sep 2026, from 18:30
and 26 more — see the map for the full list.
Every Sunday, 9:00–10:00 am
Cost
¥500–¥3,000
Booking
Not stated — best to ask
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

When
1st Thursday of the month, 7:00–8:00 pm
Cost
¥500
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone

Show on the map

An'yō-ji

Chair seating

When
Every Wednesday, from 7:00 am
3rd Saturday of the month, from 10:00 am
Cost
¥500
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

When
The 24th of each month, from 10:00 am (not in January and February)
The 24th of each month, from 11:00 am (January and February)
Cost
¥2,000
Booking
Not stated — best to ask
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

When
2nd Friday of the month, from 6:30 pm
Cost
¥2,000
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Ōbaku Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

Hakurin-ji

When
2nd Thursday of the month, 6:30–8:00 pm
Cost
Ask the temple — see the Japanese below
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Shōju-ji

Beginners welcome

When
2nd Monday of the month, from 7:00 am
2nd Sunday of the month, from 7:00 am
Cost
¥500
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Temples that hold zazen but publish no fixed schedule

These run sittings by arrangement, or on dates announced only on their own site. Contact them directly if one is near where you are staying.

Elsewhere in Aichi Prefecture

Outside the city itself, still within reach on a local train.

Before you go

  • Wear something you can fold your legs in. Loose trousers. You will be in socks or bare feet.
  • Bring cash. Temples rarely take cards, and a donation box takes nothing else.
  • Say it is your first time. (hajimete desu) is the single most useful thing you can say on arrival.
  • You may sit on a chair. Accepted at most temples and still zazen. (isu de sanka dekimasu ka).

The main English page has the rest — what happens during a sitting, what the keisaku stick is, the Japanese words you will see on the map, and an email template for booking when you have no Japanese.

Questions people ask

Where can I do zazen in Nagoya without booking?

7 temples in the city take you without any booking. They are listed first above. Arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the start time — several will not let you in once sitting has begun.

Is there zazen near Ōsu?

Yes. Banshō-ji, the Sōtō Zen temple in the middle of the Ōsu arcades, holds a sitting on Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00 for ¥500. It is the most convenient zazen in Nagoya if you are staying downtown, and the temple has experience with visitors from abroad.

How much does zazen cost in Nagoya?

Less than in Kyoto or Tokyo. ¥300 and ¥500 are the usual prices, 4 of the sittings here ask nothing fixed at all, and the most expensive on this page is ¥2,000. Bring cash; temples rarely take cards.

Does any Nagoya temple offer zazen in English?

Some have experience with visitors from abroad — Sōkichi-ji notes a long record of it, and Banshō-ji in Ōsu has run sessions with English explanation. None of them hold a standing English-language sitting. Where a temple mentions English, it is marked on the entry above.

What time do sittings start?

Morning ones are around 6:00 to 7:00, evening ones 18:00 to 19:00. Nagoya has more evening zazen than Kyoto does, which suits a day spent elsewhere.

Schedules change and temples cancel without notice for funerals and services. Check before travelling — the main English page has a Japanese message you can copy for an email.

Listings on this page were generated from our database on 23 September 2026. They are compiled from public sources and from corrections sent in by temples and visitors. The temple always has the last word.