One of the things that always attracted me to Japan, is the serenity and peace the country seems to have. One look at a beautiful Japanese landscape and I feel like I’m one with the surroundings, listening intensely to the blissful silence so rare for us big-city people.

That is why visiting a shukubo is still at the top of my Thing-to-do-before-I-die list. A shukubo is an accommodation facility in a temple or shrine that used to be for worshippers, but is now open to all public. What sounds better than the chance to experience Japanese culture at its fullest, regain your harmony, practice zazen (form of meditation) or live as a monk for a while?

Click here for a list of of Shukubo’s. Maybe I should make this my New Year’ s resolution…

Shunkoin Temple in Tokyo

Meditation classes