>>1038604The meditation may not be up your ally, but Zen meditation is more or less devoid of any overt religions elements -by that I mean stuff like meditating upon the nature of any particular Bodhisattva or something. You can view it as just a mental control technique for yourself, and once I got into it I really enjoyed it. It only occupies about 1.5 hours of the day, split between two sessions, which may sound like a lot or a little depending on your preferences.
There are hot springs taken as part of the complex, although bathing is communal and completely naked (I had problems with it back then, but if you don't, it's one of the better parts of the experience, I hear). They're sort of an offshoot of the creek, so while you're relaxing in them you're in the bottom of the valley, surrounded by trees, Japanese architecture, and the sound of the creek.
The people there were extremely friendly, and in the case of the monks, helpful. There's a few stern guys, but most are much more open and eager to help you in regards to getting more out of the Buddhist side of the experience. The other guests were a cool bunch - I met a few hippy-ish soulsearchers, a Microsoft engineer, a professor, and a woman from Brazil.
The general atmosphere is one of the most extreme serenity - the sound of the creek, the cozy traditional Japanese architecture, the mountains surrounding you, the trees, the birds (during the summer the place is swarmed by bluejays, to the extent that they actually become a bit of an annoyance, forcing you to always eat indoors). My best memories are the little things.
Making mint tea for myself from the station in the courtyard between the kitchen and restaurant, sitting on a chair, and looking over the rail at the flowing water beneath (while beating off the occasional inquisitive bluejay). Taking my shoes off on a hike (you get one free day a week), putting my feet in the creek, and talking with an old man from Minnesota.
