• Designed to provide guests with an intimate yet entertaining understanding of Nagano’s near-1,400-year-old Zenkoji temple, this half-day group tour combines a guided experience and a unique fire ceremony at the temple as well as a traditional tea ceremony, sampling of local dumplings, and even ‘sake’ tasting.

Dedicated to Jurojin – one of Japan’s ‘shichifukujin’ or ‘7 Lucky Gods’ – Saiko-ji is the ideal place to begin your exploration of Nagano, a temple town known for its traditional food culture and the longevity it affords. Indeed, Jurojin is associated with long life and will point you toward your next stop and first tasty treat of the tour – ‘oyaki’.