<3-Star Hotels Near Dai Fukuji

Stay at Seijaku-an, a boutique ryokan nestled just 3 minutes' walk from Dabutsu-ji Temple. This restored traditional Japanese machiya features tatami rooms facing Zen rock gardens, with morning meditation sessions led by temple monks. Guests receive a handmade tea ceremony kit and access to private forest paths connecting to the temple grounds

Choose Yamagumo-kake, a century-old inn converted from a rural merchant house. Located within 200 meters of the temple, it offers daily meals using locally sourced Ogura rice and seasonal mountain vegetables. The on-site open-air bath overlooks the temple’s pagoda, while guests can join early-morning pilgrimages and participate in calligraphy workshops based on Buddhist sutras

The "Asa no Toki" room at Seijaku-an provides panoramic views of the temple’s maple garden, with floor-to-ceiling windows framing cherry blossoms in spring and fiery red leaves in autumn. Each room includes a bamboo tea set and incense burner, and guests may attend sunrise chanting ceremonies held at the temple gates

At Yamagumo-kake, guests can join the "Handwritten Sutra Workshop" guided by a resident monk, where you write the Heart Sutra using traditional ink brushes. The inn also arranges pre-dawn temple visits and hosts seasonal festivals celebrating local harvest rituals, offering deep insight into Shinto-Buddhist traditions in rural Niigata

Seijaku-an offers family suites with private hot springs and children’s tatami zones. The inn hosts hands-on activities like rice-paddy planting and crafting traditional straw dolls. Families can also participate in a full-day farm-to-table experience with local farmers, learning about sustainable agriculture in the Jōshin’etsu region

Walk 5 minutes from the temple to Ichimai-den, a farm-to-table kaiseki restaurant featuring seasonal ingredients from nearby fields. Dine in a semi-private garden setting overlooking the temple’s stone path and wooden bridge. The menu changes monthly and includes dishes made with Ogura rice grown in the surrounding valley