January 2025
Visiting Zenkoji Temple Including Attending O-ASAJI Morning Service – Nagano, Japan
The center of Nagano is Zenkoji Temple and it is one of the most important temples in all of Japan. And this temple is attributed to why Nagano became a destination since Zenkoji Temple’s founding in the 7th century as is the location of the first Buddhist statue ever brought to Japan! This statue is rarely seen and only a replicate is showcased – every six years for an extremely limited time with the next opportunity in 2027.
Zenkoji Temple is a complex with many buildings and gates to explore. If you want to visit multiple areas in the temple complex, there is a ticket bundle for that 600 yen to get access to the Main Temple inner chamber and underground passage, as well as the history museum located in the pagoda. Operating hours for the ticketed portions are 9AM to 4PM.
- The main building open to the public and has an inner section that is available to view for a fee. You can view the inner section from the free section but you will get a much closer view at everything. There are not photos permitted in the inner section. There is also an underground passage that you get to explore when purchasing the ticket to the inner section of the temple. In this corridor is the “key of enlightenment” and when touched is said to bring good fortune. The catch? Since the hall is completely black, you may miss touching the key. This is also the building where the Oasaji morning prayer takes place.
- While there are many statues to admire in the temple, there is one that garners quite a line. Towards the front entrance of the main building is Binzuru statue named after a physician. Also known as Nade-botoke or patting Buddha, it is said the area you pat on this Buddha brings healing powers to ailments you have. For the most part, his head and face are worn down so much as he has been patted since the 1700s!
- There is a pagoda behind the main hall that is the location of the Zenkoji History Museum which displays various carved statues and Buddhas. This has a fee for entrance.
- Sanmon Gate is the temple’s main gate which has a second floor you can get great views of the temple grounds and main hall for a small fee. Inside are statues of Monju Bodhisattva and the four heavenly kings, Shitenno, though they are not visible.
- Outside the Sanmon gate are various red hatted statues of Jizo Bodhisattva – one giant one and then six in a row that lead visitors to the six walls of heaven. This area in particular was so beautiful as the sun was setting.
- And at the entrance of the complex if Niomon Gate which showcases two giant Nio Guardians. The detail of the carvings is extraordinary!
- And in the courtyard there is an enormous cauldron of incense that passer-bys waft towards them for healing properties.
As with many Temple complexes in Japan, there are plenty of strategically placed shopping opportunities. Nakamise Street shops are within the temple grounds past the Niomon Gate and Omotesando Avenue shops lead up to the Niomon Gate entrance – both areas are worth exploring.
You can even stay on the temple grounds in accommodations known as shukubo. We actually stayed within the temple grounds at Jizokan Matsuya Ryokan – the location was perfect, the accommodation was very comfortable, and it allowed us to attend the Oasaji Morning Service.
Oasaji Morning Service
Oasaji morning service has remained unchanged for many centuries at Zenkoji Temple. It is completed daily and is an opportunity for anyone to participate in the blessing. Because the buses/trains do not run early enough to get you here, you will want to stay an overnight. While many attempt to make Nagano a day trip from Tokyo, I – like many – discourage this and instead encourage you to stay a night or two and explore the area.
Since Zenkoji temple is a non-sectarian temple, the opportunity to participate in the morning service is open to anyone. The time that the morning services starts varies with the sunrise time so depending on the time of year you visit will dictate how early the service will start. Be sure to check the website for the times or our hotel also had the times readily available as well.
The first portion of the morning service is the juzu choudai rosary blessing which takes place outside the main temple building by the cauldron. This starts several minutes before the morning service so if you want to participate in this, be sure to line up about twenty minutes before the morning service is set to start – you will see people there so just follow the other people there. During this portion, the head priest will pass by each person and place their prayer beads on the heads of those kneeling in line as a blessing. After this, the procession continues into the main temple for the start of the morning service.
You do not need to participate in the bead blessing to participate in the morning service but from our observation, most people process from the bead blessing to the morning service portion. There are a total of four bead blessings a day so if you miss the first and want a blessing, you will have other opportunities. However, the morning service is a once a day occurrence.
The morning service participants are permitted into the inner chamber and you do require to pay the admission for access into that section. Many priests enter as the drums are played in varying intensity to signify the start of the morning service. I lost count of the number of priests that participated in the morning service!
Kevin and I opted to stand outside the inner chamber to observe the hour long service. We watched as many locals came in for quick prayer before starting their day while others stood along with us. There was even an older gentleman next to us who pointed out different portions of the service – he didn’t speak English and he didn’t have to – just this small gesture embodies how kind and generous the Japanese people are, even to complete strangers like us.
We felt so lucky to experience this morning service and would highly recommend incorporating into your Nagano stay. Whether you want to be a full participant or just observe like we did, it is a special service to witness and a beautiful way to welcome sunrise and a new day.