"The setting was very nice with the sounds of the rain," said Norwegian resident Viral Shah, 31, who meditated at a temple lodging on Mt.
However, only about 300 temple lodgings are available across the country.
Since September 2016, the Kyoto temples of Shinnyoji, Kaihoji, Eimei-in, Daijiin and Kounji have offered lodgings to visitors for about 150,000 yen ($1,410) per night.
Additionally, Ninnaji and the five other Kyoto temples plan to allot part of the accommodation fees to the restoration of disaster-stricken cultural assets.
(Shorin-an at Ninnaji)[Photo courtesy of Nippon Foundation]"Terahaku," a website catering to temple lodgings, also opened last summer.