The Five Elements Pilgrimage Retreat in Yamanashi

Waterfall meditation, sacred mountain hiking, temple stay, and digital detox August 28–30

Join us for a 2-night, 3-day retreat in the mountains of Minobu, Yamanashi, a journey through meditation, waterfall practice, hiking, temple stay, and pilgrimage. This retreat is an invitation to step away from constant doing and reconnect with nature, yourself, and each other.

Over three days, we’ll stay at the beautiful temple lodging of Kakurinbo, practice meditation together, visit a mountain waterfall for cleansing and contemplation, and hike up sacred Mount Shichimen, 1,989 meters, to spend the night at a temple high in the mountains.

We’ll use the Five Elements, Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Space, as a loose framework for exploring presence in the body, heart, mind, and natural world. Expect a full crash course in mindfulness, guided meditation, silence, journaling, time in nature, and plenty of space to let go.

The hike up Mount Shichimen is challenging, around 5–6 hours uphill, so this retreat is best for people with a decent level of fitness and some comfort with hiking.

🔍 Details:

• Location: Kakurinbo Temple, Yamanashi
• Date: Friday August 28th - Sunday August 30th
• Price: 64,000 yen early bird (round trip bus transportation included)
• To RSVP, please hit RSVP on Meetup and fill out the screening form. For new retreat attendees, I ask for a short 15-minute call beforehand to make sure this is the right retreat for you. Message me directly to set this up.

🗓️ Brief Overview of Schedule:

1. Friday, August 28 We’ll leave Shinjuku by bus in the morning and arrive in Minobu around lunchtime. After lunch, we’ll begin with a crash course in mindfulness of the body, heart, and mind. In the evening, we’ll have dinner, onsen, and a candle meditation.
2. Saturday, August 29 We’ll wake up early for waterfall meditation, then begin the pilgrimage hike up sacred Mount Shichimen. The hike takes around 5–6 hours. We’ll spend the night at a temple high in the mountains.
3. Sunday, August 30 We’ll wake up for sunrise, hike back down the mountain, return to Kakurinbo, reflect, journal, close the retreat, enjoy the onsen, and take the bus back to Shinjuku at 3:30pm.

🧘‍♂️🥾 What’s Included:

• Guided meditations and mindfulness instruction
• Full mindfulness crash course
• Waterfall meditation
• Sacred Mount Shichimen pilgrimage hike
• 2 nights of temple lodging, Kakurinbo and the mountain temple
• Shared rooms, usually with 1–2 people of the same sex
• 4 vegetarian meals, including Saturday lunch bento
• Round-trip bus transportation from Shinjuku
• Onsen
• Meditation cushions
• Digital detox, we’ll collect phones on the first day
• Periods of silence during meditation practice

❌ Not Included:

• Friday lunch and Sunday lunch
• Extra food/drinks
• Travel insurance

💳 Price & How to RSVP:
The early bird price for the retreat is 64,000 yen – prices go up to 72,000 yen on July 14th.

• Please RSVP on meetup
• Fill out this form
• Make your payment directly by bank transfer at this link here or by credit card here.

Rooms are spacious and shared with 1-2 attendees of the same sex.
***For new retreat attendees, I ask for a short 15-minute call beforehand to make sure this is the right retreat for you. Message me directly to set this up.

Refund Policy:
Full refund up to 7 days before the retreat.
50% refund if you cancel 3–6 days before.
No refund with less than 3 days notice.

📍Getting there & back:
Meet at the Shinjuku Expressway Bus terminal at 7:20 am on Friday August 28th. Directions are here. Arrive on time – or early, to be safe!

We will take the Shinjuku expressway bus Shinjuku to Minobu-san at 745am on August 28th, arriving at 11:30am. It’s about a 3 hour 20 minute bus ride (there is a bathroom on board and we make one stop on the way).

We leave from Minobu san back to Shinjuku at 330pm on Sunday August 30th, arriving at Shinjuku around 730pm. I will get your roundtrip ticket once you confirm your RSVP and pay.

🧳 What to bring:

• Comfortable hiking shoes
• Warm layers, hoodie, sweater, etc.
• Comfortable clothes for meditation
• Hat or beanie
• Water bottle, at least 1 liter
• Flashlight or headlamp
• Small towel for waterfall practice
• Rain jacket or light waterproof layer
• Journal and pen
• An open heart, or at least a mildly curious one

📩 Questions?
Message Misha on Meetup directly or email at misha@tokyomindfulness.com

👤 About your teacher:
Misha Yurchenko is a Tokyo-based certified, trauma-informed meditation teacher with 10+ years of experience. He has spent time on retreat around the world and practiced a range of techniques. After experiencing extreme burnout from his venture-funded startup, he founded Tokyo Mindfulness and is dedicated to helping others break free from themselves. He takes an integrated and practical approach combining meditation, breathwork, and nervous system healing to help people let go of the ego, release old habit patterns and find inner freedom. He is the author of Beyond Calm and lives in Nerima with his family.

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