Former Zen Buddhist temple renovated to meet growing demand.
Kanga-an, a former Zen Buddhist temple in Kyoto has been transformed into a meeting events venue to meet the growing demand for host venues in the city, and is one of the latest venues to join the Kyoto Convention Bureau.
Kanga-an, which dates back to the 17th century when the retired emperor Go Mizuno ordered its opening to enshrine the Holy Spirit of Residential Protection, has been renovated and converted into a restaurant to maintain the beauty and sublime peacefulness of the original building.
With more UNESCO world heritage sites than any other city in the world, Kyoto is home to more than 2,000 temples and shrines. Kanga-an is just one of the many which are available for corporate hire to help organisers integrate Kyoto’s rich history and culture into their meetings and events.
The former temple is well known for its vegetarian gastronomy- it serves ‘fucha’ and ‘shojin’ cuisine, whose origins can be traced to the Buddhist monks who brought their religion to Japan.
James Kent, Kyoto Convention Bureau’s international marketing manager, comments: “Many business clients come to Kyoto to experience the cities culture and heritage. The temple experience is fundamental to any event taking place in our city and having venues such as Kanga-an available for use within the business environment makes the city a very attractive destination. It offers an unique and highly sophisticated dining experience, accentuated by the serene simplicity of the setting. Any organisation using Kanga-an for an event will not only be able to enjoy a rich culinary experience but also immerse themselves deep in Japanese culture.”
