Tucked into the forested slopes of Mount Minobu in Yamanashi Prefecture, Kakurinbo isn’t just a place to sleep. It’s a base for everything from helicopter flights and sake tastings to Buddhist chanting, miso-making, and carving your own wooden Daruma. Think peaceful mornings, soft tatami floors, and food that’s as intentional as it is local.

Winner of the Best Inbound Travel award at the 2024 Japan Travel Awards, Kakurinbo shukubo (temple stay) was established 530 years ago, and somehow, it still feels like one of the more forward-thinking places to spend a few days.

It’s not trying to sell you enlightenment or a postcard version of “traditional Japan.” But if you’re up for slowing down, asking questions and maybe picking up a brush or chant along the way, this 500-year-old temple stay offers a lot more than just a check-in desk.

Most activities are bookable in English on the Kakurinbo website, and custom tours in French, German or Italian are available via Japan Travel. Come solo or bring friends—either way, there’s no set script.

Helicopters, Hills and Fuji Views

Minobusan is steep—literally—so getting around on foot can be slow going. Renting an electric bike makes a huge difference, especially if you’re eyeing a ride up to Lake Motosu, the same lake you’ll find framed behind Mount Fuji on every ¥1,000 note. It’s a tough ride up, but you’ll feel like you’re flying on the way back down.

Local and long-distance helicopter tours featuring Mount Minobu and neighboring Mount Fuji are available all year long. One of the most surreal ways to experience the area, the tours offer panoramic views of the Kofu Basin and Fuji Five Lakes—two major Japanese power spots in one flight. Depending on the season, you’ll be hovering over snow-capped peaks, blooming trees, lush summer greens or autumn foliage, with the occasional village or farm dotting the landscape below.

The company is professional, the pilot is skilled and the itinerary is safe—flights are postponed or refunded in case of bad weather. You can lift off from a field near Kakurinbo or even arrive directly from Tokyo by helicopter. Prices start at ¥70,000 per person for a short ride, with longer flight options from Tokyo from ¥275,000. Everyone should try this at least once. Seeing both Mount Minobu and Mount Fuji from above is quiet, detached and unexpectedly moving.

Temple Stays and Quiet Rituals

Minobusan is famous as the center of Nichiren Buddhism—its founder, Nichiren Daishonin, lived and taught on Mount Minobu. That legacy still runs deep here, and Kakurinbo continues to honor it through immersive temple stays and guided Buddhist experiences. If you’re curious to go deeper, we’d recommend staying two or three nights. It gives everything room to breathe.

Kakurinbo’s guest rooms are simple, calming, and quietly elegant. Tatami mat rooms for one to four guests include options with garden views, a family guestroom with its own bathroom, and a VIP guestroom formerly reserved for high-ranking priests during memorial services. Separate chalets are available for couples, offering a bit more privacy. 

And if you prefer a bit more distance from temple life, the nearby Guest Villa Ebisuya offers Japanese and Western-style rooms, a kitchen and private onsen baths for one to six guests.

The beauty of staying here is that nothing is required. You can wake at dawn for morning prayers at Kuonji Temple and follow it with meditative yoga in the temple hall—or skip all that and carve a Daruma figurine in the afternoon sunshine. Either way, you’re welcome.

Kakurinbo’s Buddhist experiences include:

Goshuincho Making:

Design and create your own goshuincho—a special book for collecting red stamps and calligraphy from temples across Japan.

Minobusan Guided Tour:

Visit Minobusan’s key religious sites, including Kuonji Temple, the great sanmon gate, and Gobyosho. A priest guide shares the background of each location and explains Nichiren Buddhist beliefs in a way that invites questions.

Morning Yoga:

After joining the morning prayer service at Kuonji, spend an hour stretching and centering your body through yoga in Kakurinbo’s main temple hall.

Rosary Making:

Create a set of Buddhist prayer beads using different types of stones, each with a symbolic meaning. It’s a tactile meditation and a personal souvenir.

Shodaigyo chanting:

Chant the mantra Nam-myoho-renge-kyo under the guidance of a priest. The pace shifts slowly, then quickly, building rhythm and focus. In Nichiren Buddhism, this shared practice is a way for clergy and laypeople to walk the path together.

Statuette Carving:

Carve a small wooden Daruma with the help of a Buddhist statue sculptor. Guests often say the finished face ends up looking surprisingly like the person who made it.

Sutra Copying:

Trace Japanese Buddhist sutras using a traditional calligraphy brush. English translations are provided, but the act of tracing itself is where the real stillness begins.

Eat, Ferment, Sip, Repeat: Food and Wine Experiences

Kakurinbo treats food as a kind of meditation. Each dish is a careful balance between shojin-ryori (Buddhist temple cuisine) and the elegance of multi-course kaiseki. The result is deeply nourishing, visually stunning, and rooted in local seasonal ingredients. Vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free meals are available, and just down the road, you can grab a simpler bite at Zencho Café.

Magic happens when you roll up your sleeves and get involved. Here’s what Kakurinbo offers:

Cooking Class:

Learn how to prepare local dishes using fresh, seasonal produce alongside the okamisan (female owner) of Kakurinbo. You’ll cook together, ask questions, and then enjoy the food you made for lunch.

Miso Making:

Using Akebono soybeans, sweet, large and grown locally in Minobusan, you’ll make miso under the guidance of a local grower and the okamisan. If you live in Japan, you can take your miso home to ferment and use later. Just visiting? You’ll get to sample pre-fermented miso on the spot.

Onigiri & Inarizushi Making:

Master two of Japan’s most iconic comfort foods. Learn how to shape warm onigiri (rice balls) stuffed with fillings like umeboshi, salmon, or kelp. Then, try your hand at inarizushi, sushi rice wrapped in slightly sweet deep-fried tofu pouches.

Sake Brewery Tour:

Head to Masuho town to visit Shunnouten, a 230-year-old sake brewery that uses only local rice and spring water. Meet the chief brewer, see how sake is made and taste a variety of styles—all in the place it’s been crafted for generations.

Udon Making:

Knead and cut your own udon noodles from scratch using locally sourced flour. It’s messier and more satisfying than you’d expect—and you’ll definitely taste the difference.

Wine Bottle Label Making:

Channel your inner artist with a brush, ink and washi paper to create your own wine bottle label. Once your masterpiece is done, you’ll take the bottle home with you—so yes, make it a good one.

Winery Tour:

Visit Domaine Hide, a local winery known for its bold reds and lunar-influenced winemaking. Tour the facilities, taste the lineup and maybe leave with a few bottles tucked under your arm. Yamanashi is known as the “Grape Prefecture” for a reason.

Yubatori (Fresh Yuba Tasting):

Watch fresh yuba (tofu skin) form before your eyes—and then eat it while it’s still warm and delicate. Made with Akebono soybeans, yuba has long been a staple of Buddhist cuisine and is perfect for vegans, vegetarians and anyone with gluten allergies.

From Paper to Pottery: Discover Japanese Traditions

Not everything at Kakurinbo is about Buddhism. For those interested in crafts, there’s a wide range of hands-on cultural experiences that bring Japanese history and daily life into sharper focus—no spiritual deep dive required.

These activities are perfect if you’re traveling with friends, planning a weekend with mixed interests, or just want to do something that doesn’t involve temples for a bit.

If you prefer a more independent stay, the nearby Guest Villa Ebisuya offers a different kind of charm. It’s a 90-year-old home designated a national cultural asset, now renovated into a private holiday house for 1–6 guests. Inside, you’ll find a mix of Japanese and Western-style rooms, a kitchen for self-catering, and private onsen baths to unwind in after a long day of exploring or crafting.

Here’s the full menu of cultural offerings Kakurinbo organizes:

Calligraphy:

Choose a kanji character that represents your name or a word that speaks to you, then learn how to write it using a brush and ink on washi paper. A satisfying mix of concentration and creativity.

Inkstone Making:

Under the guidance of a master inkstone craftsman, carve your own inkstone using traditional methods. The process is as meditative as it is meticulous.

Karaoke Bar:

Slip into countryside nightlife at a local bar that still holds onto the Showa-era vibe. Warm lights, retro interiors and a songbook full of surprises.

Kintsugi:

Repair broken pottery with urushi (natural lacquer) and powdered precious metals like gold. It’s a philosophy as much as an art—flaws don’t get hidden, they get highlighted.

Personal Seal Making:

The Rokugo area of Yamanashi has been known for its hand-carved hanko (seals) for centuries. Work with some of the most skilled hanko artisans in the country to create your own personal seal—yes, you get to keep it.

Tea Ceremony:

Sit in a traditional Japanese-style room and learn the philosophy and aesthetic behind making and serving tea. It’s quiet, deliberate, and unexpectedly profound.

Washi Making:

Make your own sheet of Japanese paper and learn about the role of women in preserving this tradition. The workshop traces its heritage back to feudal lord Shingen Takeda, who established the village of Nishijima as a center of washi production during the Warring States era.

Wedding Kimono Experience:

Guests can choose from 18 exquisite kimono once worn by brides at actual weddings, displayed in the corridors of Kakurinbo. There are also formal montsuki hakama sets available to try on, traditionally worn by grooms.

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Booking and Access

Bookable in English on the Kakurinbo website.
For custom tours in French, German or Italian, book via Japan Travel.

Kakurinbo
Minobu 3510, Minobucho, Minamikomagun, Yamanashi
Tel: 0556-62-0014