Eiheiji

Eiheiji (永平寺) is a small town in Fukui Prefecture famous for its impressive temple bearing the same name.

Understand
Located midst of mountains east of Fukui City, the town is renowned for Eiheiji Temple, established in 1244 by Zen Master Dogen (道元禅師 Dōgen Zenji). It survived through a number of disasters and wars in its 700-year history, and the temple remains one of the most respected sanctuaries to Zen Buddhist monks in Japan.

A famous passage by Dogen goes:


 * To study the way is to study the self.
 * To study the self is to forget the self.
 * To forget self is to be enlightened by all things.
 * To be enlightened by all things is to remove the obstacles between oneself and others.

Tourist Information Site
ZENTABI is the town's official multilingual guide site.

Get in
It's possible to leave Kanazawa (north) or Kyoto (southwest) in the early morning by train and get to the temple by noon. Ask the bus driver to notify you when you arrive; there are several stops called "Eiheiji-something", which can be confusing.

Eiheiji is about 15 km from Fukui City; either take a direct bus from Fukui Station (6 daily, 30 min, ¥720) or a train to Eiheiji-Guchi (25 min, ¥440) and a connecting bus (15 min, ¥410).



Buy
You can buy books and esoteric goods at the temple itself. Souvenirs such as biscuits, cakes, and other trinkets, are available in shops around town.



Eat

 * There are several small restaurants on the main streets.

Sleep
There are several hotels in town.



Go next

 * Ono &mdash; A historic castle town.