A Japan Village Retreat

Held by Kristin Borchardt & Caroline Sherratt

2nd - 8th October 2027

True village living, nestled within a secluded forest beside a mountain stream. As the seasons turn, colours soften into golden hues, inviting a natural slowing, into something more gentle, quiet, and still.

This immersive experience honours a traditional Japanese rhythm of living. Days unfold with long, nourishing yoga practices, restorative bodywork, forest bathing, and time spent soaking in the onsen. We gather in simple ceremony, through tea, presence, and shared space, fostering connection to self, each other and the land.

Kurokawa Onsen

Tucked deep within the mountains of Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, Kurokawa Onsen is a small village shaped by forests, rivers and the healing waters of its natural hot springs.

The onsen are the heart of the village. Hot mineral waters rise from deep within the earth, and bathing has been woven into daily life here for generations. There is something beautifully simple about the ritual, stepping out of the forest, into warm water, and allowing yourself to do very little at all.

The village itself is quiet and intimate. Moss-covered paths wind between wooden ryokans, cedar forests rise around the valley, and small bridges cross the river below.

Part of what we hope to share here is a glimpse into a different relationship with time, nature and wellbeing, one that has long been woven into Japanese life. From shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing, to the daily ritual of soaking in hot spring waters, time spent in nature is not necessarily something to be fitted around life, but something that can be part of life itself.

There is an unspoken wisdom in these practices: walking amongst trees, bathing, eating slowly, noticing the seasons, tending to simple rituals. Perhaps this is part of why Japan is so often associated with longevity, not through any single practice, but through a way of living that makes space for connection, movement, rest, community and the natural world.

Who is this Retreat for?

This retreat is for lovers of slow, intentional living; for anyone ready to return to something innate.

  • You’re in a season of life that is asking you to turn inward. Perhaps you know it is time to contract, to draw in, to gather yourself. To remember that expansion does not happen without contraction, and that there are seasons for both.

  • You want to explore your own inner tapestry. To become curious about the many threads that make up who you are — your body, your rhythms, your relationships, your desires, your histories, your hopes — and to give some of them space to be felt again.

  • You’re longing to tend to your own wellspring of vitality. Not by adding another thing to your list, but by creating the conditions for energy, creativity and aliveness to arise naturally.

  • You’re interested in rest as a way of life, not simply a way of coping. Not rest as a temporary remedy for a life that is burning you at both ends, but rest as an opportunity to reimagine and recreate a life with more spaciousness, rhythm and room to breathe.

  • You want to return to your practice with depth, curiosity and softness. The asana will be rooted in restorative practice, with an emphasis on listening, sensing and inhabiting the body rather than striving. All levels are welcome; no previous experience is needed.

  • You’re drawn to the quieter seasons. To autumn leaves, stillness, mountain air, cedar forests and the simple joy of bathing in natural hot springs. To the beauty of letting the world become a little quieter around you.

  • You’re in any chapter of the book. Beginning, ending, rebuilding, becoming, resting, grieving, celebrating or simply living. You don't need to be in a particular place in life to belong here.

  • You’re curious about re-embodying in an increasingly artificial world. About stepping away from screens, schedules and constant stimulation and returning, even temporarily, to things that are tangible: walking, eating, bathing, breathing, moving, touching, gathering.

  • You feel drawn to the rituals and simplicity of Japan. The quiet ceremony of tea. The rhythm of bathing. Seasonal food. Time in nature. The reverence for ordinary things. Ways of creating meaning through the simple act of being present.

  • You want to soften some of the armour around the heart. To spend time with others without needing to perform or produce, and to remember that being witnessed, held and met in community is part of what makes us human.

Because these times with one another are precious. To commune. To unite. To share a meal, a practice, a walk, a bath, a cup of tea. To come together in community, while still having the freedom to follow your own rhythm.

The details:

Dates. 2-8 October 2027, six nights.

Where. Kurokawa Onsen, Kyushu, Japan

Included.

  • Six nights accommodation at our traditional ryokan

  • Two daily yoga and meditation practices, weaving slow movement practices, yin meridian practices, restorative asana, somatic inquiry and practices for cultivating chi, Kristin and Caroline.

  • Daily breakfast and dinner at the ryokan, featuring nourishing, locally sourced seasonal food

  • Daily shared lunch at a local cafés

  • Shiatsu Massage Treatment

  • JapaneseTraditional Tea ceremony

  • A Local Seasonal Japanese Workshop

  • Daily Forest Bathing and time amongst the surrounding landscape

  • Unlimited use of the Ryokan's Onsen throughout your stay

  • Bespoke Retreat Gifts

  • Daily Gratitude Journalling

Not included.

  • International flights

  • Travel to and from Kurokawa Onsen, including flights or other transport

  • Personal activities and additional excursions

  • Snacks, drinks and meals outside those listed above

  • Travel insurance

Join the waitlist via hello@nookstudios.co.nz and you will be within the first group to receive our retreat information, pricing and first options on rooms.