a week to transform your writing practice

I’ve devised this unique programme to support you as a writer, whether you’re working on fiction or non-fiction, and regardless of genre, form, voice or subject matter.

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day 1 基石 | setting your cornerstone

arriving

You’ll be met at Himeji station and brought by local train to the house in Matogata.

Matogata House from the courtyard garden

meeting

You’ll be shown your room and introduced to the other retreat participants

settling

You’ll have time to unpack and explore the house and its surroundings before dinner.

preparing

We will discuss the retreat programme over dinner, before taking a bath and retiring to our futons.

day 2 帰籍 | returning to your domain

meditating

We start each day in silent or guided meditation, to still and centre the mind.

journalling

After breakfast we have a quiet session to set our creative intentions for the coming week.

connecting

We will take a walk to connect with nature and the local 神 kami or spirits that inhabit the place.

stone carved boddhisattvas on a mountain path

decompressing

In the evening we share first impressions with each other, browse the library, relax and unwind.

day 3 輝石 | engaging your fire stranger

breathing

We will practise the pranayama ‘fire breathing’ to increase our energy flow before breakfast.

cherry blossom and a circular Japanese window

stoking

We act as a fire stranger to our work by assuming an entirely different narrative voice.

igniting

We will be given an object or prompt to fire our imagination and write freely for a couple of hours.

a woman writing next to a Japanese garden

befriending

We will connect again over dinner to reflect on our experiences working with our inner fire stranger.

a group of women at a table in a Japanese restaurant overlooking a garden

day 4 鬼籍 | examining your ghost list

chanting

Just like the monks at the temple across the street, we will chant together to start our day.

examining

We will spend time unpacking a list of potent elements we would like to feed into our writing.

opening

With an open heart, we allow ourselves to plumb our emotional depths and bring back new truth.

savouring

We savour the products of our courageousness and share any buried treasure with grace and humility.

a group of women enjoying a meal together

day 5 軌跡 | tracing your tracks

walking

We start our day with a slow walking meditation, our focus on our feet and our bodies in motion.

intersecting

We look for connections between our own work and that of another participant to practise co-writing.

mapping

We take a helicopter view to see where our work is headed and redefine the places it moves through.

deriving

We explore the psychogeography of Himeji as urban flaneurs in search of new inspiration.

day 6 奇石 | polishing your gemstone

sungazing

We begin today at sunrise and practise sungazing before breakfast.

sunrise from the mountaintop behind Matogata

editing

We experiment with different methods of editing & elevating aspects of our work.

the host Sarah Holding with retreat participants

observing

We watch what happens when we return and fully show up in our practice with our new shift of focus.

coffee and writing materials in the sunshine

shining

We shine new light on our writing by hearing from an expert practitioner working in another discipline

day 7 奇跡 | embodying your miracle

thanking

We start our last day in deep gratitude, for our practice and the opportunity to spend time together.

consolidating

We have a quiet session wrapping up our discoveries & preparing for a final sharing session.

presenting

We enjoy the fruits of our labours with deep listening, mutual curiosity and appreciation.

a group of women engaged in a creative writing workshop

celebrating

Over a final kaiseki dinner we reflect on our week’s experiences and recommit to our writing practice.

a delicious kaiseki dinner with multiple dishes