Nagano travel
Zenkoji Temple
Zenkoji Temple · 善光寺
Follow Zenkoji's Nakamise approach to the grounds and main hall. Inside are the inner sanctuary and dark underground Okaidan passage. Choose an inner-sanctuary and Okaidan ticket if you want interior worship as well as a grounds walk.
Zenkoji: seasonal inner-sanctuary hours and 28 December exception Official sources Official sources
Visitor information
Address
長野県長野市大字長野元善町491-イ
491-i Nagano-Motoyoshicho, Nagano City, Nagano, Japan 380-0851
View on the mapAdmission
Grounds and outer main-hall worship area are free. The ticket for the inner sanctuary, Okaidan passage and Zenkoji History Museum costs JPY 800 for adults and university students, JPY 300 for junior and senior high school students (years 7–12) and JPY 100 for primary school children (years 1–6); preschool children enter free. Coverage differs from the JPY 1,500 regular set ticket. Check included spaces if also visiting upper Sanmon.
Opening hours
Inner-sanctuary and Okaidan visits start one hour before the morning service. They end at 4:30 pm from April to October, 4:15 pm in March and November and 4 pm from December to February. Morning-service times vary by date; grounds are listed as open all day. Regular Kyozo and History Museum viewing hours are 9 am–4 pm.
What to see at Zenkoji Temple
Inner sanctuary and dark underground passage
Worship in the inner sanctuary, then explore the dark Okaidan passage. Add time inside the main hall to an approach and grounds walk.
How to get to Zenkoji Temple
Take a Zenkoji-bound bus from Nagano Station's Zenkoji exit rotary stand 1. Alight at Zenkoji Daimon and walk about five minutes to the main hall. The temple's roughly 15-minute bus estimate excludes waiting and walking after alighting.
Before you visit
Check ticket coverage for the upper Sanmon Gate
The grounds and outer main-hall worship area are free; inner-sanctuary and Okaidan worship and upper Sanmon viewing are paid. Do not assume the inner-sanctuary ticket includes the gate; choose coverage for your intended spaces.
28 December inner-sanctuary worship and Kyozo viewing
On 28 December each year, inner-sanctuary viewing ends when the morning service finishes. A notice suspends viewing at the scripture repository, Kyozo, for inspection of the ageing building. Check official notices if planning to visit it.
Questions about Zenkoji Temple
Does a Zenkoji main-hall ticket include the upper Sanmon Gate?
The ticket for the inner sanctuary and Okaidan passage differs from the upper Sanmon ticket. To visit both, check which spaces each ticket includes, including set-ticket options.
Official sources
- Zenkoji: seasonal inner-sanctuary hours and 28 December exception ·
- Official sources ·
- Official sources ·
- Official sources ·
- Official sources ·
- Official sources ·
- Zenkoji: visiting guide ·
- Zenkoji: access ·
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