SACRED JOURNEYS IN JAPANSTILLNESS · INOCHI · WELLBEING

A JOURNEY INTO CONNECTION

SATORI

In Japan’s sacred places,
awaken your dormant senses.

Film, sound and nature shaped by prayer.
Begin in Koyasan. Continue into Kumano.

The illuminated Konpon Daito at Koyasan at night
01 / KOYASANA place to begin.
SCROLL TO FEELKOYASAN & KUMANO, JAPAN
THE SPIRIT OF SBNR JAPAN01 / THE INVITATION

Feel a connection
with all things.

Koyasan, Kumano and the Kumano Kodo.
Here in Wakayama, Japan’s ancient values and spiritual traditions remain alive:
reverence for nature, and a sense that all life is connected.

A sensibility that encounters the sacred in rocks, forests and water.
Attend to film, sound, breath and nature, opening to an unfamiliar way of sensing.
We recommend a journey through both Koyasan and Kumano.

Sacred land. Stillness. You.
Vivid autumn maple leaves and blue sky around the Konpon Daito at Koyasan
KOYASAN / A LIVING TRADITION

1,200 years of living wisdom.
An encounter for your life today.

Koyasan was founded in 816 by Kūkai, a Shingon Buddhist monk whose talents extended to thought and philosophy, architecture, education and calligraphy. Prayer, study, vegetarian temple cuisine and architecture expressing a vision of the cosmos are part of a spiritual culture shaped by more than 1,200 years of intertwined Shinto and Buddhist traditions.

Film and sound offer a doorway into sensations that can be difficult to reach through explanation alone. Feel& Sense makes room to encounter the ideas living within sacred places through your own perceptions.

LIFE® Inochi in a special temple hall normally closed to the public, Oneness meditation and sound healing with distinctive instruments.
Encounter Kūkai’s spiritual vision in Koyasan.

Created and provided by Feel& Sense

FILMMEDITATIONSOUND
Explore the experience

SATORI / A MOMENT OF CONNECTION

Connect with
cosmic consciousness.

The heart opens, and a sense of connection emerges.
Sense your connection with nature, the cosmos and life.

What makes everyday life meaningful to you?
Carry your insights into the choices you make each day.

As insights build, “IKIGAI” begins to come into view.

A temple roof emerging from a forest veiled in deep mist

FEEL& SENSE / ART & AWARENESS

Art by Feel& Sense.
A path to SATORI = “awareness”.

Even within the limited time of a stay, Feel& Sense’s art offers a path towards experiencing the spiritual essence of Koyasan and Kumano for yourself.
Through its artworks, you are invited to open your awareness and sense the connections between yourself, the cosmos and life through direct experience.

Feel& Sense has worked closely with these sacred places through artworks that give form to the spiritual essence of Koyasan and Kumano. The experience we offer grows out of creating those works and what we have come to understand here, firsthand.

BEYOND THE EVERYDAY

A time and place apart.

Art experiences created by Feel& Sense.Beyond sightseeing, a journey of inner discovery.

01ENCOUNTER

Meet the sacred landscape.

Walk, look and listen. In a place shaped by generations of prayer, leave daily routines behind and take time to settle into quiet.

02EXPERIENCE

Discover a new way of sensing.

Settle into film, sound and space. Through the artworks, encounter Kūkai’s vision and explore your own connection with life.

03IKIGAI

Make room for what matters.

What makes life meaningful to you? Make time for reflection, and carry that question into everyday living.

A torii illuminated by flames, with people gathered along a path at night
CHOOSE YOUR SACRED JOURNEY

From Koyasan
into Kumano.

02 / THE JOURNEYS

South of Osaka, on the Kii Peninsula in Japan’s Kansai region.
Kansai International Airport (KIX) is a main gateway to these sacred places.

For a first journey, we recommend experiencing both sacred places.
Begin with inner attention in Koyasan, then explore your perceptions in Kumano’s forests, rivers and old paths.
Let successive encounters make room for insights to carry into everyday life.

The illuminated Konpon Daito at Koyasan at nightWAKAYAMA, JAPAN / 01KoyasanMount Koya
KŪKAI · STILLNESS · MEDITATION

Open your senses in Koyasan.

LIFE® Inochi, Oneness meditation and sound healing with distinctive instruments. Encounter life and the cosmos in a special temple hall normally closed to the public.

KIX railway station to central Koyasan: about 3 hours by train, cable car and bus.

Explore Koyasan
The great torii at Oyunohara beneath a star-filled skyWAKAYAMA, JAPAN / 02KumanoSacred landscapes
PILGRIMAGE · NATURE · CONNECTION

Explore your senses in Kumano.

Explore your perceptions among forests, rivers and old paths.
Shape the journey with Manabu Mitsuishi’s guidance and Feel& Sense’s riverside meditation, film and sound experiences.

KIX railway station to the Kumano Hongu area: about 4½–5½ hours by train and bus.

Explore Kumano

Approximate public-transport times allowing for connections; services and departure times vary. KIX immigration and baggage collection are additional.

After Koyasan and Kumano,
a journey tailored to you.

Building on your experience in these two sacred places, Feel& Sense can design your next journey elsewhere in Japan. Tell us your preferred region, themes, dates and budget.

Explore tailor-made journeys
A stone approach framed by cedar trees and lanterns
OUR ROOTS / KOYASAN & KUMANO

Encounters in Koyasan and Kumano.
A story that continues.

In Koyasan and Kumano, we have shared our works, entered into dialogue and encountered the prayer held within these places.
What we have come to understand here, we now share personally through small-group journeys.
Feel& Sense designs and provides the experience, carrying a sense of connection from Koyasan into Kumano.

Our story in Koyasan and Kumano
YOUR NEXT JOURNEY

Let’s create your journey
together.

A curiosity about Japan, a moment of stillness, or simply a wish to slow down.
Your journey can begin with what draws you here.

Enquire about a journey
How is a journey arranged?

Tell us your destination, interests, preferred dates and group size. We will discuss programme options and confirm availability, language support and the arrangements involved.

Can I join without knowing about Buddhism?

You can begin with curiosity. We introduce the artistic and cultural context so that you can explore the experience at your own pace. Let us know what interests you.

For travel professionals and partners

We welcome enquiries about including an art experience in your itinerary. Please share your client profile and travel plans. Duration, group size, venue, language support, accommodation, transport and commercial terms are confirmed individually.

Contact SBNR JAPAN