Ryunohara Retreats
Make time for yourself to rediscover what it means to be one with nature, to create with your hands, and to care for all that is around us.
5 days, 4 nights, all-inclusive retreat in Ryujinmura, the Dragon God Village of Wakayama, Japan.
Your host, Lee Xian Jie (XJ)
Lee was a nature and history guide in Kyoto before moving to Ryujinmura in 2021 in the middle of the global pandemic to begin a new life in the Kii Peninsula, known for centuries as the island of the mainland for its inaccessibility and isolation.
I started Ryunohara as a playground of ideas.
I had wondered if it was possible to make good tea with just the sun, wind, and tea plants? Was it possible to get rice to grow the old way, before fertilisers packed in millions of tiny plastic pellets were invented, before herbicides and pesticides flooded the plains, poisoning the frogs and bees? Was it possible to not just bear living in centuries-old Japanese farmhouses—famous for their darkness and coldness, but to love living in them?
Four years later I am happy to say that the tentative answer to all of the above is yes, and on Ryunohara Retreats I will share what we at Ryunohara (for now it is not just me but team of us here) have found with you.
Four Editions
-
Ecology
Everything here’s connected, but how? Discover how nature, food, art, architecture, history and more are all intertwined.
-
Outdoors
A moving body is a healthy body. Come into contact with crystal-clear water, come hike through centuries-old pilgrimage paths.
-
Creators
Meet creative masters who are pursuing tradition in spite of modern challenges, and get hands on guidance as you learn from them.
-
Tea
Tea isn’t about rituals, tasting profiles, or even whether it is hand-picked or machine-harvested. It is about how it makes you feel.
Shindofuji. This is what Ryunohara is about.
The Body and the Soil Are Not Two.
Tradition Meets Comfort
Stay at Ryunohara Hatago. A 120-year-old farmhouse restored without pretence. Real wood and natural persimmon extract stains are in, plywood and veneers are definitely out.
Sleep like a baby in 1 of 4 plush beds in 2 rooms. Toto’s top-of-the-line NeoRest toilet will happily greet you with an LED light and spray display when you open the door (not pictured below, come see for yourself). Rise to the calls of rare chickens.
Guests will share a common kitchen, indoors bathroom, outdoors bath with onsen water, and toilet.
Eat Well
What we serve you depends on what’s the freshest and tastiest in the season you’re here for, so our menu changes daily and it’s next to impossible to say what we’ll serve you in the vintage lacquerware that we saved from a local shrine.
But what is for sure is that you’ll be served things like our homegrown heirloom variety of rice, eggs from our frontyard chickens, herbs and berries foraged from the forest around us, log-grown shiitake mushrooms, among other local produce.
What’s definitely not on the table: sauces or hot pot premixes that come in a retort pack, store-bought chicken bouillon, or other instant flavours.
Where We Are
Ryujinmura has mythical origins. The village is named after the Dragon God, who appeared to the great monk Kukai 1,300 years ago to reveal the whereabouts of silky-smooth but crystal-clear and completely odourless hot spring water.
We are deep in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula, marketed today by government agencies as “Japan’s spiritual heartlands”. Centuries of isolation (the road leading here was completed only in the 1980s) resulted in pockets of well-preserved traditions not found anywhere else on the Japanese archipelago. You’ll explore parts of Japan few travellers ever see, meet people you’d never meet without introductions from a local, and taste the goodness of countryside living.
Meet up with the other participants on Day 1 at Kii-Tanabe Station, and you’ll be shuttled here over the course of an hour over windy mountain roads in a roomy 8-seater Toyota Voxy. You’ll be driven back down on Day 5. We recommend flying through Kansai International Airport, a 2-hour train ride away from Kii-Tanabe Station.
Reviews
-
Ryunohara is more than just a retreat; it’s a gateway to discovering the profound beauty and rich heritage of Japan. From farming to gastronomy and local economics to its creative pool of talents; there is just so much to offer and for us to learn. This retreat is truly a must-visit for anyone seeking a genuine connection with Japan’s natural and cultural wonders.
Fang, Malaysia
Booked with friends -
If beautifully renovated Hatagos, delicious home cooked food, exploring mountainous countryside, waterfalls, black sesame ice cream, onsens, traditional crafts, rope bridges, rice, tea, goats, chickens and ducks are your thing... then this is the place for you! As a female solo traveller, I could not have felt safer. The host, staff, volunteers, and fellow guests were incredibly friendly and welcoming.
Tamarra, United Kingdom
Solo traveller -
If I can describe my experience at the retreat with one word, it would be *soul nourishing*. The trip turned out to be one of the best decisions I made all year, and one of those trips that would be baked into my core memory for a long time. While the days were packed, everything was so meticulously curated. No better therapy than this, if you are looking for a soul-nourishing break in nature, look no further.
Sarah, Singapore
Solo traveller
Pricing
1 spot
JPY 280,000
2 spots - 5% discount
JPY 266,000/spot
Enter TWO at checkout to get 5% off.
3 spots - 10% discount
JPY 252,000/spot
Enter THREE at checkout to get 10% off.
All 4 spots - 20% discount
JPY 224,000/spot
Enter FOUR at checkout to get 20% off.
Calendar
Ecology Edition
24-28 September 2025
4 spots available
16-20 November 2025
4 spots available
8-12 April 2026
4 spots available
19-23 May 2026
4 spots available
16-20 June 2026
4 spots available
28 October - 1 November 2026
4 spots available
Outdoors Edition
30 September - 4 October 2025
4 spots available
1-5 April 2026
4 spots available
5-9 May 2026
4 spots available
7-11 July 2026
4 spots available
6-10 October 2026
4 spots available
Creators’ Edition
4-8 November 2025
4 spots available
26-30 November 2025
4 spots available
25-29 March 2026
4 spots available
20-24 October 2026
4 spots available
1-5 December 2026
4 spots available
15-19 December 2026
4 spots available
Tea Edition
21-25 April 2026
4 spots available
28 April - 2 May 2026
4 spots available
10-14 November 2026
4 spots available
17-21 November 2026
4 spots available
FAQs
Could you open new dates for me?
Yes, we would be happy to open new dates that would fit your schedule and ours if you book all 4 spots. Please make your request at hello@crafttaby.com.
Can children come?
Participants coming alone must be 19 and up (that’s the age of adulthood in Japan). If you are travelling with kids we will be happy to create a child-friendly retreat for you if you book all 4 spots.
Is the Retreat physically demanding?
The Ecology, Creators, and Tea Editions are not physically demanding, but the Outdoors Edition is. On the Outdoors Editions we will be hiking across rocky terrain (no special gear required), doing water sports, and moving a lot.
What should we pack?
The Hatago is equipped with a washer-dryer, the bathroom has a hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, body soap, and face wash. All rooms are air-conditioned. You may want to bring thick socks in the colder months.
What you need depends on the seasons and activities you will take part in, so we will send a packing list closer to the date of the Retreat.
Are there bugs, spiders, and snakes in the summer?
Yes, budding entomologists, arachnologists, and herpetologists will find a variety of beetles, butterflies, moths, spiders, and snakes. There are mosquitoes and horseflies nearby the river, and snakes (mostly non-venomous but also the very venomous Japanese Pit Viper) in the forest. The best time to seek them out is June to September. The Hatago has mosquito nets on every window, and we have not found a single snake indoors (as of yet).
I am afraid of birds/dogs/cats/frogs/insert animal name. Can I come?
We encourage all our visitors to face their fears head on. While our chickens, ducks and dogs are usually in enclosures or on leashes, our goats may roam free (in order to do their job of weeding well). You will definitely encounter wild birds up close, but unfortunately wild boars, deer, Japanese macaques, racoons, or bears fear us more than we fear them and they will stay away from us.
What is the refund policy?
Cancellations more than 60 days before the retreat → 100% credit or full refund, less transaction fees at prevailing yen rate
Cancellations 15 to 59 days before the retreat → 50% credit or 50% refund, less transaction fees at prevailing yen rate
Cancellations within 14 days of the retreat → No credits or refunds
Late arrivals or early departures → No credits or refunds
Retreat canceled due to natural disasters, government travel restrictions preventing attendance (pandemics), or other unforeseen circumstances such as war, transportation strikes, or serious illness of the host → 100% credit or full refund, at prevailing yen rate