Seisho-ji is a temple located in the Toronomon Hills area of central Tokyo. It is part of the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism and moved to its location on Mount Atago in 1600. It sits among a complex of other Buddhist temples and a Shinto Shrine. The various temples are separated by a set of gardens that wrap in and out of a wealthy urban high-rise office setting.
At the Seisho-ji temple itself, resident monks offer zazen orientation for any level of meditator. Timing is flexible while the temple is open (9:00-17:00). It depends on temple's schedule; please contact staff (contact below).
Sitting is usually on a round cushion (ZAFU). There are also a limited number of chairs available. How you sit and for how long will depend upon your own aspiration and physical condition. However regular practitioners usually sit for 40 min periods and new-comers around 20 mins.
Seishoji Temple (青松時)
http://seisyouji.p1.weblife.me/sanga/zazen/zen.english.html
2 Chome-4-7 Atago, Minato, Tokyo 105-0002
Telephone: 03-3431-3087
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A 4 minutes walk from Onarimon Station on the Mita Subway Line
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A 5 minutes walk from Kamiyacho Station on the Hibiya Subway Line
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A 10 minute walk from Toranomon Station on the Ginza Subway Line
There is an extraordinary garden filled with little nooks and statues old and new, making it a wonderful place to find a quiet corner among the many statues or water features to meditate on one's own.
Immediately adjacent to the Buddhist Temple Complex is a one of a kind Shinto Shrine--the Atago-Jinja Shrine Minato. Built atop a hill and surrounded by the towers of modern Tokyo, this shrine has to be one of the loveliest examples of old juxtaposed with new, of religious juxtaposed with commercial, anywhere in the world.
Meditate At The Seisho-ji Temple
The All-Around Best Place To Meditate in Tokyo, Japan
