Why This Japan Retreat May Not Be Available Next Year
- Maki Kobayashi
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Some Thoughts on Timing
To be honest, I hesitated myself about offering this retreat at this time.
With what is happening in the world, I completely understand why someone might feel unsure about joining.
At the same time, there are a few things I find myself reflecting on.
Not as persuasion, but simply as thoughts I would like to share.
This may not be something to postpone to “someday”
We don’t know how the world will look next year. Things may become more stable — or they may not.
In a way, it could also be said that it is still possible to travel because we are in this moment now.
But then, what guarantee do we really have that “next year” will come as expected?
Perhaps the only thing we can truly choose is how we respond to this moment.
The reality of timing
The current retreat pricing was set before the recent escalation in the Middle East and does not yet reflect potential changes moving forward.
However, the situation in the world may change this quite significantly — especially for a country like Japan, which depends heavily on imported energy, with around 90% coming from the Middle East.
The Japanese yen may feel relatively favorable at the moment, but it is difficult to know how it will be next year.
What feels accessible now may not feel the same in the near future.
“Now or Never” — beyond a marketing phrase
During the pandemic, I had a friend in Europe who deeply loved Japan.He had once lived there, and after returning to his home country, he was preparing to go back again.
But when COVID happened, borders closed.What he thought would be a temporary delay became years.
He never made it back.
I often wonder what might have been different if the world had stayed open just a little longer.
Why gathering still matters
Perhaps most importantly, it is precisely in times like these that coming together has meaning.
Festivals have always been a way for people to reconnect —with each other, with place, and with something beyond the individual.
To be part of such a moment is not just an activity, but an experience that carries a different kind of value.
About the festival experience
This year, we are planning to take part in the Autumn Festival of Ōmiya Suwa Shrine on August 22, 2026.
It is the first time that international participants have been welcomed to carry the Mikoshi as part of the local celebration.
This has been made possible through careful trust-building and coordination with the local community.
Because of this, it is something quite unique to this year —and it is not something that can be assumed or guaranteed for the future.
A final thought
This retreat is not something that exists every year in the same way.
It comes into being through a specific place, time, and the people who make it possible.
I am not running retreats as a fixed business.Rather, I hold the space that brings together Ryo Shiobara, this place, and the people who feel called to be here.
Because of that, what is offered here is not something I can promise to repeat in the same way.
This is not meant to create pressure —but simply to share what I feel is an honest and timely invitation.
If this speaks to you, this may be the time.
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