…Embodying Zen...
7 days of Yoga, Zenthai & Hotsprings
Join us for a transformative 7-day yoga retreat in Japan, from October 3rd to 9th, 2024.
Guided by Sally and Yuta, this journey blends cultural immersion and wellness practices.
Experience the vibrancy of Tokyo, serene mountain hot springs, and the tranquility of a Zen temple stay.
Embrace daily yoga and Zenthai sessions, enriching onsen baths, and delicious traditional meals.
Accommodation ranges from private to shared options in Tokyo's ryokans, Nozawa's mountain villa, and a communal stay in a Chichibu Zen temple.
Costs cover 6 nights' stay, most meals, and all travel during the retreat.
Registration requires a $500 deposit. Join us for a heartfelt journey into Japan's beauty and serenity.
The Details:
Duration: 6 nights, 7 days
Dates: October 3rd (Check-in from 3pm) to October 9th (Check-out 11am)
Locations: Tokyo, Nagano, Chichibu
Accommodation Options:
Twin Share: Double bed or two seperate beds.
Solo Room: available at an extra cost
Private ensuite: the Tokyo Ryokan rooms include private ensuites. In Nozawa Villa there is the option to pay extra for a private ensuite, otherwise all rooms have access to the shared bathroom.
**Additional Information:**
Assistance available for solo travellers to find roommates.
One of the highlights of the retreat is the unique Zen Temple stay experience. On this night, we will sleep communally in the temple on traditional tatami and futon. (October 7th only)
Pricing (in AUD):
Full Retreat Package:
$2100 per person: Twin Room with private ensuite in Tokyo Ryokan and shared bathroom in Nozawa Villa
$2450 per person: Twin Room with private ensuite in both Tokyo Ryokan and Nozawa Villa
Additional $450 for single room (not shared)
Deposit: $500 to confirm booking
INCLUSIONS:
6 nights accomodation:
— Opening and closing nights of our retreat we stay in an onsen Ryokan in Tokyo (traditional hotspring hotel).
— 3 nights stay in a Villa in the mountain onsen village of Nozawa - 13 free onsen bath houses to explore in the village!
— 1 night stay in a Zen Temple in Chichibu mountain area, with private onsen, and many unique Zen experiences with the local Monk. We all sleep communally in the temple, on traditional tatami floor and futon!Daily traditional Japanese breakfasts.
4 x group dinners including: Tepenyaki welcome dinner in Tokyo, delicious local farm produce dinner in Nozawa Village, Shojin Ryori dinner at the Zen Temple (Japanese monk cuisine), and our closing dinner in Tokyo.
Visit traditional gardens in Tokyo, and witness the display of the Autumn colours!
Visit an ancient Shinto Shrine
Morning Yoga with Sally each day - In some epic locations indoor and outdoor!
Afternoon unwind sessions each day: Option to choose Yin Yoga with Sally or Zenthai Bodywork jams/guided flows with Yuta
All travel costs for our retreat itinerary are covered, including bullet train, private buses and shuttles. - Just organise your own flights and meet us at our hotel in Tokyo!
Retreat gift pack and more….
“Embodying Zen” Retreat Itinerary
We will be building in details and the offerings in the months preceding the journey. We hope the information below gives you a sense of what lays ahead, and look forward to questions you may have.
OCTOBER 3rd: TOKYO ARRIVAL DAY
Arrive to our Ryokan in Tokyo (traditional Japanese hotel) - check in from 3pm.
Meet for group Tepenyaki dinner, and option to soak in the hotel onsen before heading to bed.
OCTOBER 4th: FROM TOKYO TO THE MOUNTAINS
Early morning yoga in a traditional garden nearby. Japanese breakfast together at our Ryokan. Option for another hotspring soak in the Ryokan before check out by 11am. Travel by bullet train to the mountains in Nozawa! We check in to our Mountain Villa - our home for the next 4 days in the alpine hotspring village of Nozawa. And unwind with a yin yoga or Zenthai bodywork class, followed by a delicious group dinner together.
OCTOBER 5th: ONSEN VILLAGE
Delicious Japanese breakfasts are provided each morning at our Villa after morning yoga practice.
The lunches and dinners will be your own adventure while in the village over these days. There are a range of wonderful local eat outs to choose from, and you are welcome to use the kitchen at our villa and cook up a storm! The village has an abundance of fresh produce by the local farms. Various activities and day trips are on offer each day, including hiking, temple visits and Shinrinyoku (forest bathing). Each afternoon you have the option of either yin yoga with Sally or a Zenthai bodywork class with Yuta.
OCTOBER 6th: ONSEN VILLAGE
By this point we bet you’ll start really feeling the charm and friendliness of the onsen village. A part from the daily breakfasts and Yoga and Zenthai classes, our days here include plenty of free time to simply wander around the village and make your way through the 13 free onsen bath houses sprinkled throughout the village.
OCTOBER 7th: ZEN TEMPLE STAY
We check out of our Mountain Villa after yoga and breakfast, and we travel to another stunning mountain area for our stay in a very special Zen Temple.
There will be options to partake in calligraphy of spiritual zen buddhist scriptures, and/or a forest walk before our afternoon class of either yin yoga or Zenthai bodywork together.
Dinner is a Japanese Buddhist speciality: Shojin Ryori - delicious naturally umami flavoured, vegan Zen Buddhist cuisine. Bathe in the natural outdoor onsen under the stars before heading to bed.
*please note, this night is the one night we cannot offer private rooms - the temple stay is a very unique experience where we all sleep on traditional futons on the tatami floor in the temple.
OCTOBER 8th: SHINTO SHRINE VISIT AND HEADING BACK TO TOKYO!
Morning Zazen (Zen meditation) with the Monk in the Zendo (meditation hall), followed by a yoga practice together with Sally.
Delicious Shojin Ryori breakfast before we head to a breathtaking Shinto Temple nearby.
After exploring the temple, we travel back to our Ryokan in Tokyo for the last night of our retreat.
OCTOBER 9th: TOKYO
Morning yoga in nearby garden. Our retreat ends after our group breakfast in our Ryokan. Check out 11am.
MORE DETAILS ON THE ACCOMODATIONS! (photos coming soon)
Tokyo Ryokan Stay
Our first and last night of the retreat will be spent in Tokyo in a “Ryokan” (traditional Japanese hotel). This is a unique style of accomodation, that includes an “Onsen” bath house (hotspring waters), and a set menu for breakfast - Japanese cuisine!
The Ryokan is in a very central location in Tokyo, with many things in the are to explore! We will visit a nearby Zen garden and there is the option to visit the Masunaga Zen Shiatsu School/Clinic.
The rooms at the Ryokan are modern and cozy (think Tokyo size), and include their own ensuite. There are twin share and single options.
Onsen Village Villa Stay
From Tokyo we will take the “Shinkansen” (bullet train) into the mountains to spend 3 nights in the Onsen Village of Nozawa. The Villa we stay in is walking distance to the village which consists of 13 free Onsen (hotspring bath houses). At the villa we will enjoy daily Japanese breakfast from fresh local produce! Most lunches and dinners will be your own adventure, you could try some of the local restaurants, cook up in the kitchen onsite, or use the village onsen kitchen to steam up a feast!
All the rooms at the villa are bright, large, and quiet, with lounge areas and magnificent outlooks on the surrounding mountains and village. There are 3 rooms at the Villa with private bathrooms. The other rooms share the communal bathroom - there are toilet rooms on each floor and shower rooms on the ground floor with separate cubicles for privacy. There are also 13 public onsens in the village which most people enjoy using!
Zen Temple Stay
From Nozawa we will take a private bus to an ancient Zen Temple in Chichibu, where we will be hosted by the Zen Monk there for 1 night. Dinner and Breakfast are a unique experience here, delicious umami flavours, super healthy, vegan Shojin Ryori. This is Japanese Monk cuisine cooked in mineral rich broths of mushroom, seaweed and mountain vegetables.
The Zen Temple stay cannot offer private rooms. It’s a very special experience sleeping in the shared space of the temple on the tatami floor on futon mattresses! We will each take turns to enjoy the open air bathhouse here, an onsen(hotspring) filled bath under the stars.
*ONSEN CULTURE AND ETIQUETTE*
“Onsen” is the Japanese word for Hotspring. On retreat, there will be daily opportunities to go soak in an onsen, usually a public bath house that is filled with local onsen waters (hot steaming mineral rich goodness). These waters each have therapeutic properties that offer a multitude of benefits to our skin and general health and wellness and longevity!!
There are some rules around bathing in the public bath houses…
The main 2 being:
1. you must be completely naked,
and
2. you must not have any tatoos (small tatoos can be covered with a bandaid).
For those who do have tatoos, and/or are uncomfortable to go naked, there are other hotsprings we can direct you to where you can book a private pool for yourself. However please note that, the onsen in the Tokyo Ryokan stay, and the 13 free public onsen in the Village in Nozawa are both very strict on these rules.
FOOD, MEALS & DIETRY REQUIREMENTS
Every breakfast is catered for, and some dinners too.
Breakfasts will be traditional Japanese style, usually quite savoury including a range of vegetables, egg, tofu, fish, miso and rice, with tea or coffee.
Lunches and some dinners be your own delicious adventure, and at your own cost. We can suggest varying eat outs along the way, and in the Onsen Village in Nozawa you can use the kitchen in our Villa to prepare your own meals from the wonderful fresh produce on offer by the local farms!
We will do our best to meet dietary requirements. Be sure to communicate your dietary needs before paying your deposit, as sometimes in Japan it can be tricky to ensure certain food sensitivities can be met!
Additional travel costs and information
You will need to cover your own travel costs to the retreat (flights to Japan - Narita or Haneda airports are closest - and transfers/train from the airport to our Tokyo accomodation). Check in is from 3pm on October 3rd, and check-out is 11am on October 9th.
Lunch and some dinners are not catered for. We can suggest recommended options in each location we visit! Get ready to try all the Japanese foods!!!
Extra optional activities and transport costs. This includes any site seeing during the free time that is not included in our itinerary, or any optional activities you might wish to partake in, like a cooking class, mountain biking, SUP boarding, getting a massage, visiting a private onsen, etc…
You will need to organise your own Travel Insurance.
Your passport requires at least 6months validity to travel overseas.
Once you’ve booked, we will send you our welcome PDF with more details on what to bring and hot tips for preparing yourself for travel in Japan!