Zazen Map Japan

Zazen Map Japan · Osaka

Zazen in Osaka

Osaka has less public zazen than you would expect from a city its size. We have 14 temples on record inside the city holding sittings open to the public, against 47 in Kyoto and well over a hundred in Tokyo, and only 1 of them will take you without making contact first.

We would rather tell you that than pad the list. What is here is genuine, local and cheap, and there is a straightforward alternative if none of it fits your dates.

  • 14temples listed
  • 1take you without booking
  • 3free or by donation
Open the map on Osaka

Kyoto is about thirty minutes from Osaka Station by train, and it has 47 temples holding public zazen, many of them free and needing no booking at all. If you are staying in Osaka and want a morning sitting, the honest advice is to look at zazen in Kyoto before settling for what is nearby.

Things that are specific to Osaka

  • Most of these are neighbourhood temples, not sights. You will not recognise the names, there is no garden to look at afterwards, and that is rather the point. They cost ¥300 or nothing.
  • Nearly all of them want contact first. Not a formal booking, usually — a phone call or a note saying you are coming. For a first visit, send a short message a few days ahead rather than turning up.
  • Shitennō-ji is not Zen. It is the oldest officially administered temple in Japan and the obvious Buddhist stop in Osaka, and it does hold sitting meditation open to the public — but it belongs to the Washū school and what happens there is not zazen. It is listed separately, below the Zen temples.
  • The prefecture has more than the city. Sakai, Ikeda and Minoh are all inside Osaka Prefecture and reachable on a local train. Those are listed further down.

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.

Naniwa-ji

Just turn upFreeChair seating

When
3rd Sunday of the month, 7:30–8:30 am
Cost
Free
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

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.

Tenshō-ji

Free

When
Every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, from 6:30 am
Cost
Free
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Donation

When
Every Thursday, 6:00–7:00 pm
1 December, once a year, from 6:00 pm
Cost
Donation — give what you think is right
Booking
Not stated — best to ask
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone

Show on the map

When
1st Sunday of the month, 1:00–2:30 pm
Cost
¥300
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

When
3rd Saturday of the month, 9:00–10:00 am
3rd Saturday of the month, 1:30–2:30 pm
Cost
¥300
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

When
Every Tuesday, 6:00–7:00 pm
2nd Tuesday of the month, 6:00–7:00 pm
2nd Tuesday of the month, from 7:00 pm
Cost
Ask the temple — see the Japanese below
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Rittō-ji

When
Every Thursday, from 6:30 pm
Cost
Not stated — ask when you contact them
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone

Show on the map Temple website

When
The 17th of each month, from 6:00 pm (not in February, August and December)
Cost
¥2,000
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Rinzai Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map

Rinnan-ji

When
1st Saturday of the month, from 8:00 am
Cost
Not stated — ask when you contact them
Booking
Not stated — best to ask
School
Sōtō Zen
Address
Phone

Show on the map Temple website

Jikei-ji

Chair seatingBeginners welcome

When
1st Sunday of the month, 4:00–5:30 pm (not in January)
Cost
Ask the temple — see the Japanese below
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Ōbaku Zen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Reien-ji

When
2nd Saturday of the month, 3:00–4:00 pm
2nd Saturday of the month, 7:00–8:00 pm
Cost
Ask the temple — see the Japanese below
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.

Not zazen — other temple meditation in Osaka

These temples belong to other schools of Japanese Buddhism and what they teach is not zazen. Several run ajikan (), a Shingon practice built around visualising a single written character. It is sitting meditation, but it is a different tradition with a different method. They are listed here because people looking for one often want to know about the other.

Free

When
No fixed schedule published.
Cost
Free
Booking
Book or contact them first
School
Shingon — not a Zen school; what is practised here is not zazen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Shitennō-ji

Just turn upFree

When
No fixed schedule published.
Cost
Free
Booking
Not required — just turn up
School
Washū — not a Zen school; what is practised here is not zazen
Address
Phone
The temple’s own notes (Japanese)

Show on the map Temple website

Elsewhere in Osaka 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

Can I do zazen in Osaka without booking?

Rarely. Of the 14 temples on this page, 1 take you without any advance contact. Most ask for a phone call or a message first, even where there is no formal booking system. Kyoto, half an hour away by train, is much easier for drop-in sitting.

Is there zazen at Shitennō-ji?

Shitennō-ji holds public sitting meditation twice a month, free and with no booking. But it is a Washū temple, not a Zen one, and what is practised there is not zazen. It is listed on this page in its own section so the difference is clear.

How much does zazen cost in Osaka?

Very little. ¥300 is common, several are free or by donation, and the highest price on this page is ¥2,000. Bring cash.

Should I go to Kyoto instead?

If you want an early-morning sitting at a well-known temple, with no booking and no fee, then yes — Kyoto is about thirty minutes from Osaka Station and has far more of it. If you want a small local sitting where you are the only visitor, Osaka is better for exactly that reason.

Because most Osaka temples want contact before a first visit, the Japanese email template on the main English page is worth using here more than anywhere else. Copy it, fill in three blanks, send it a few days ahead.

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.