Private Shizuoka Shore Excursion: Zen, Matcha, Calligraphy

Two temples, seated meditation, and a handwritten kanji you take home

A private shore excursion in Shizuoka for cruise passengers combines Zen meditation at a temple, premium matcha tea with sweets, and a calligraphy session where you create art on a traditional hanging scroll to keep. Your English-speaking guide meets you at the pier, handles navigation by taxi, and returns you with time to spare before the ship departs. The tour runs 2.5 to 3 hours and suits all fitness levels.

Step-by-step itinerary

Zen, Matcha, and Calligraphy Experience

• Visit Seiken-ji Temple
• Participate in zazen meditation
• Enjoy matcha tea and sweets
• Create calligraphy on scroll

The Experience

2.5 to 3 hours is the window: tight enough that you're back at the pier with a buffer, long enough to sit through meditation, tea, and the calligraphy without rushing. The itinerary moves by taxi between two temples instead of a bus, which cuts the dead time that eats into shore excursions. Your guide meets you at the ship and stays with you the whole way, so there's no waiting for a group to assemble or for anyone to catch up.

At Seiken-ji Temple, you walk the grounds of a thousand-year-old Zen Buddhist site where Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, studied as a child. The temple's wooden architecture and layout tell that history without needing a lecture. Then at Zuiun-in Temple, a Zen monk leads a zazen (seated meditation) session (chairs are available if you need them) followed by matcha green tea and seasonal Japanese sweets served in a traditional tatami room. The tea portion includes the basics of Japanese tea culture and hospitality, so you're not just drinking. You're learning the ritual.

The calligraphy experience is the keepsake. Based on the sound of your name, you're offered several kanji characters, each carrying a positive meaning (love, peace, smile), and you choose one to write yourself with brush and ink on a traditional hanging scroll (Kakejiku). That scroll goes home with you. If you're curious about it, your guide can explain the stroke-count balance concept that Japanese culture uses to select characters with good fortune. All temple admission fees are included. Taxi fares to and from the pier are paid directly to the driver.

What’s included

• Premium matcha green tea and seasonal Japanese sweets.
• private Zen meditation with a monk (chairs available).
• creation of your own kanji calligraphy on a traditional hanging scroll to take home.
• all temple admission fees.
• English-speaking private guide from pier to pier.

Days and timesMon–Fri · 09:00 and 10:00

AgesAges 13+ · 6 to 12 years · Under 6 — No ticket type: can't be added to a booking

Meeting point and pickupNo pickup · ends where it startsMeeting point, per the operator: “Your private guide will be waiting for you right in front of the "Information Counter" located just outside the ship's security gate. Your guide will be holding…”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by Authentic Cultural Experiences in Shimizu

Is this one for you?The 2.5- to 3-hour window is built around the ship's schedule, so you get a full cultural experience (meditation, tea, calligraphy) without the wasted time of a larger tour, and you're back with a real buffer before departure.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

6 to 12 years. Under 6: no ticket type, they can't be added to a booking.

What is Seiken-ji Temple and why does it matter?

Seiken-ji Temple is a thousand-year-old Zen Buddhist site in Shizuoka where Tokugawa Ieyasu, founder of the Tokugawa shogunate, studied as a child. You walk the serene grounds and see the traditional wooden architecture that shaped Japanese history.

Can I do the meditation if I'm not flexible or have back pain?

Chairs are available for the zazen (seated meditation) session at Zuiun-in Temple, so you can participate in comfort. The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels.

Do I get to keep the calligraphy I create?

Yes. You choose a kanji character based on the sound of your name, learn to write it with brush and ink on a traditional hanging scroll (Kakejiku), and take it home as your souvenir from the tour.

Will my guide speak English the whole time?

Your guide is an English speaker who meets you at the pier and stays with you throughout the entire tour, so communication and navigation are handled from start to finish.

How much time will I have back at the ship after the tour ends?

The tour runs 2.5 to 3 hours and is designed to return you to the pier or nearby lunch spots with plenty of time to spare before departure, so you're not cutting it close.