The Temple Where Nature Speaks

In the foothills of the Kaga region, where the air is thick with the scent of wet cedar and the sound of spring water, lies Natadera. This is no ordinary temple. It is a 1,300-year-old sanctuary carved into the rock, dedicated to the Senju Kannon and the visceral cycle of existence. Your guide, Ariya, is a 24th-generation Buddhist priestess who can translate the deep spirituality of Natadera into a modern context. Together, you will navigate the moss-draped grounds and visit some of its iconic caves. These rock formations represent the "mother’s womb"— a dark, quiet space designed for the contemplation of the cycle of life. After your tour of the temple grounds, you will move to a historic teahouse once frequented by the great-grandson of Sen no Rikyu, the father of tea ceremony. Here, Ariya performs a private tea ceremony for you, using historic instruments that have been held by the temple for centuries, allowing you to experience the tearoom's history in a tangible way.

Most international travelers to the region stay within central Kanazawa. Natadera sits an hour south in the Kaga foothills — far from the standard itinerary, and for that reason still a place of working religious life rather than a destination managed for visitors. This experience is purposefully slow-paced, inviting you to sense the tranquility of the temple grounds and tea ceremony rituals. The temple itself is unusual within Japanese Buddhism: a site where Buddhism, Hakusan mountain worship, Shinto, and nature worship all coexist. Torii gates usually found at Shinto shrines appear here on a Buddhist temple's grounds. The haiku master Matsuo Bashō made a pilgrimage here and wrote poems about its white cliffs and autumn wind. What lifts this experience is having Ariya as your private guide. As a working priestess, she can speak to what these objects, rituals, and spaces mean from inside the tradition — as an active spiritual practice.

Ariya is an ordained priestess of Horenji Temple (Pure Land Buddhism) who was born in Kyoto and raised in California. She fell in love with Ishikawa Prefecture and moved from Kyoto to Yamanaka Onsen with her family, where she enjoys the area's natural beauty and community-minded society. A student of the Urasenke school of tea ceremony, she also welcomes international guests to her adopted town as a guide and part-time Japanese teacher.

Comfortable walking shoes. A hand towel during summer months. A pair of socks (preferably white) to wear during tea ceremony. A desire to learn more about Japanese culture, spiritual life, or tea ceremony.