Exclusive Zen garden & maiko experience · Kyoto
The whole temple. Just you and the maiko — a private afternoon of garden, dance, and quiet talk.
The experience
Take the wooden rake and draw the ripples of a dry-landscape garden with your own hands — the Zen of giving your whole attention to one thing.
Settle into the temple hall for two dances by a maiko, a cup of tea in hand. No stage, no distance — just a few paces away.
Ask her anything. Take the photograph you'll keep. This is a meeting, not a show — with real time to simply be there together.
See it in motion
Watch the film — on YouTube ↗
Why it's unlike any other Kyoto day
Ikka-in is a normally-closed sub-temple of Tofuku-ji, founded in 1382. For your session, it is entirely yours.
Not a glimpse from a crowd — real, relaxed time to talk, ask questions, and take your photograph.
Step past the rope most visitors stop at, and rake the patterns of the dry-landscape garden with your own hands.
A rare combination
of three sacred
experiences in Kyoto
Not a glimpse from a crowd — a private temple, a maiko's time, and a garden you rake yourself.
The setting, in pictures
The ninety minutes
Gather at Ikka-in. Please arrive by 2:00; we begin at 2:05.
Your English-speaking guide introduces the temple and the world of the maiko.
In the dry-landscape garden, take the rake and trace its ripples — a moment found only here.
Move to the main hall and watch two dances by the maiko over a cup of tea.
Talk freely, ask questions, and take a commemorative photograph before the day closes.
Times shown are for the 2:00 pm departure. The 3:30 pm departure follows the very same flow, ninety minutes later.
The place
A sub-temple of Tofuku-ji founded in 1382, Ikka-in stands quietly away from the crowds and is rarely opened to visitors. Its name means one flower — an image close to the heart of Zen, of everything unfolding from a single, simple source.
Timber halls, tatami, a gold folding screen, and a garden of raked gravel and moss set the stage for the afternoon.
Getting there
Reserve
Small group · English-speaking guide · The temple, entirely yours.
Booking, availability and full details are handled on Sunrise Tours. You'll leave this page to complete your reservation.
Good to know
About 90 minutes from the meeting time to the close. Please arrive at least 5 minutes before your departure.
Yes. An English-speaking guide is with you throughout, introducing the temple, the garden and the maiko.
At Ikka-in, a sub-temple within the Tofuku-ji precinct in Higashiyama, Kyoto — a short walk from Tofukuji Station (JR Nara Line & Keihan Main Line). See the map above.
Yes. Ikka-in is normally closed to the public, and it is reserved for your group for the session — no other tourists, no queues.
Absolutely — it's encouraged. The final part of the experience is unhurried time to talk with the maiko and take a commemorative photograph.
Reservations are made on Sunrise Tours via the buttons above. Pricing, availability and the full cancellation policy are shown there before you confirm.
