I was browsing around for shukubo stays as potential fun thing to do on my upcoming trip to Japan in late April, when Google Maps (of all places) pointed out a place right on the edge of Lake Biwa, practically on top of Chomeiji Temple. It’s not far from Okishima, either, which could be a cool day activity. My questions are:
1. This seems to be a pretty small temple, with little to no presence on the english web. The place is called Shukubo Shinsei-in Temple (though Google Maps calls it Shukubo Shinjo-in Temple. The Japanese is “宿坊真静院”.) I’ve found a few sites that mention it on the Japanese web: a simple explanatory site [here](https://wa-qoo.com/shiga/sinseiin/), and a review [here](https://shukuken.com/shinseiin), so I think it at least *exists.* However, I can’t find a way to book a stay. Any ideas for how to get in contact? Should I just call the number listed on the first site? (With my total lack of Japanese, probably not the best plan.) Is this place just out of my reach as a foreign tourist?
2. Where should I put this on my trip for the smoothest travel experience? This part of Shiga is going to be a little out of the way regardless, but it seems to add 1-2 hours of train time to the trip due to switching lines depending on when we go and from which direction. Options are:
1. On our way between Hakone and Kyoto
2. After we visit Kyoto, before we return to Tokyo for a few days before flying out.
3. Third thing I haven’t considered.
I know this one is a longshot, but it might be a really interesting experience if it pans out. Suggestions would be much appreciated!
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>However, I can’t find a way to book a stay. Any ideas for how to get in contact? Should I just call the number listed on the first site? (With my total lack of Japanese, probably not the best plan.) Is this place just out of my reach as a foreign tourist?
This all seems like a fairly large barrier to actually making it, travel time aside. If you don’t speak Japanese, and there’s no English website to go from, you might find yourself unable to go in the first place.
Usually, small shukubo like this will require you to call in your reservation request and the webpage only shows a phone number as contact info. If you can’t speak Japanese, you may well be out of luck unless you know someone who can speak on your behalf. Even then, some places will turn down foreigners if their Japanese ability isn’t even high enough to make a reservation (this nearly happened to me at a ryokan, though the person calling for me told them I understood a small amount of Japanese, so they accepted me).
Anyway, an alternative in the Kansai area would be Mt. Koya. A lot of tourists go there, but it’s still authentic, and some temples will be able to offer some English. I stayed at a temple that accepted lone foreign guests and they had us in a separate group from the Japanese guests. At dinner, the mother of the head priest sat with us and told us stories about growing up at Mt. Koya and about the temple itself in English (I assume the Japanese group got something similar but in Japanese). It was well worth it for that alone.