I Thought I Understood Wellness… Until I Went to Japan.
An intimate, eight-person journey into movement, hot springs, culture, nature, and the kind of restoration you cannot add to an already-full calendar.
April 14–18, 2027 · Tokyo & Nikkō·October 20–25, 2027 · Tokyo & Nikkō
Same Retreat · Two Seasons
Choose your season
New spring date
April 14–18, 2027
Tokyo & Nikkō · 5 nights
The same intimate retreat experience in spring: movement, hot springs, Tokyo, Nikkō's temples, Edo-period culture, and deep rest.
Cool mountain air, fresh green, and possible blossoms; timing is never guaranteed.
Five hotel nights beginning April 14; checkout April 19, 2027.
Optional add-on after the core retreat · April 19 · $350 per guest
Same room choices, guest pricing, inclusions, and $600 deposit amount. Limited to 8 guests; current availability confirmed personally. Early-bird, balance, refund and cancellation deadlines and online checkout will be confirmed before booking opens.
An intimate, eight-person autumn journey into movement, hot springs, Nikkō's temples, Edo-period culture, and deep rest.
Mountain air and autumn color; timing is never guaranteed.
Five hotel nights beginning October 20; retreat concludes with checkout October 25, 2027.
Optional add-on after the core retreat · October 26 · $350 per guest
Same room choices, guest pricing, inclusions, and $600 deposit amount. Limited to 8 guests; current availability confirmed personally. Early-bird, balance, refund and cancellation deadlines and online checkout will be confirmed before booking opens.
Optional Tokyo Day with Rex: spring on April 19, 2027; autumn on October 26, 2027. Each is $350 per guest with guided exploration and coordination included; guests cover their own Tokyo hotel for the extra night.
Both departures are limited to 8 guests. Current availability and booking details are confirmed personally before booking opens.
Hosted by Rex and Union Yoga · the same five-night retreat in two distinct seasons.
The Week at a Glance · Both Departures
The Rhythm of the Retreat
Six concrete pieces of the week. Exact daily order is confirmed in your onboarding call.
Vinyasa most mornings
A steady, breath-led practice to open the day — accessible on tired legs, satisfying on strong ones.
One evening of Yin + sound bath
A single, deliberate evening of long-held Yin shapes closed by a live sound bath. The week's softest hour.
A hike led personally by Rex
Rex takes the group out on foot himself — pace, stops, and story all handled in person, not outsourced to a guide.
A city tour led personally by Rex
A walking tour of the Tokyo Rex actually knows — neighborhoods, small doors, and the version of the city you don't get from a map app.
Nikko temples & shrines
A group day among cedar giants and moss-covered stone at some of Japan's quietly most powerful sacred sites.
A day at Edo Wonderland
A group day inside a full Edo-period village — costume, craft, and enough playful mischief to earn the samurai photo.
Why This Retreat Is Different
Not a packaged retreat. A Japan Rex knows firsthand.
This journey wasn't assembled from a luxury-travel template. It was shaped through seven trips and more than a cumulative year spent in Japan, beginning with Rex's first visit at nineteen—and through the places, rituals and experiences he genuinely wants to share with you.
01
Seven Journeys, Woven Into One
Rex first traveled to Japan at nineteen. Across seven trips and more than a cumulative year there, Japan has held some of the most meaningful chapters of his life. He has known love and marriage there, experienced temple visits that moved him spiritually, and spent countless nights discovering Tokyo through its streets and neighborhood izakayas. His stays have ranged from internet cafés to remarkable resorts. That breadth—not luxury alone—is what shaped this retreat. Rex knows Japan as a place he has returned to, learned from and cared for over time.
02
Culture Is Part of the Care
Japan becomes much more welcoming when someone helps you understand its quieter customs. Rex approaches the culture with humility and respect, and will help you navigate the nuances of onsen etiquette, restaurants, temples, public spaces and everyday interactions—so you can feel present instead of worried about getting everything right.
03
Nikkō Changes with the Season
Nikkō is a mountain place, and it reads differently depending on when you arrive. Both departures visit the same temples, forests and water — the atmosphere is what shifts.
Spring · April 14–18, 2027
Cool mountain mornings, softening light, fresh green returning to the cedar forest, and a gentler pace around the shrines. Spring in Japan is widely loved for its blossoms; timing varies year to year and cannot be promised.
Autumn · October 20–25, 2027
Japanese maples turning crimson around ancient temples, gold leaves drifting through cedar forests, mountain air, and red bridges suspended above the gorge. Colour timing varies with the season.
04
You Won't Navigate the Unexpected Alone
Rex is your host, tour guide and trauma-sensitive yoga teacher—and an experienced traveler who knows how to stay calm when plans change. When his wallet disappeared during one trip, he navigated the local police system and recovered it after a monk from a nearby temple turned it in. Travel can be unpredictable, but you will have someone beside you who knows how to respond, ask for help and keep the group moving with care.
Why Japan
A country you can't reach through a standard tour.
Rex has spent years building a real relationship with Japan — its language, its people, its unspoken pace. What he's sharing on this retreat is not a checklist of famous sights. It's a version of the country that only opens up when someone who belongs there is holding the door for you.
We travel as a group of eight so we can move like locals — into quieter neighborhoods, smaller onsen towns, and rooms where the proprietor remembers your name by the second morning.
More Than an Onsen
Restoration, then a little mischief.
The days move between two poles: the deep quiet of yoga and hot springs, and the playful edge of cultural immersion — walking temple grounds in Nikko, crossing suspension bridges above a dragon-colored gorge, spending a day inside an Edo-period village, and yes, at one point, dressing as a samurai.
You'll leave with softer shoulders and better stories.
What's Included · Both Departures
The full week, in specifics.
Every item below is part of your retreat. Anything not listed here is worth confirming with us before you book — we'd rather be plain than pretend.
Pre-retreat onboarding call
A personal call and preparation guidance so you land in Japan ready, not scrambling.
5 nights lodging in Kinugawa
Five nights in deluxe tatami accommodations at our Kinugawa base — Shared, Private, or Couple Suite, confirmed with you personally.
Meals throughout the retreat
Thoughtful group meals across the week — Japanese breakfasts, communal dinners, and the small quiet ones in between.
Group transport Tokyo ↔ Kinugawa
Coordinated ground transportation between Tokyo and Kinugawa, plus every scheduled group activity — you focus on being here, we handle the logistics.
Vinyasa most mornings
A steady, breath-led vinyasa practice most mornings — designed for real bodies and long travel days, accessible without being watered down.
One Yin + sound bath evening
A single deliberate evening of long-held Yin shapes closed by a live sound bath — the quietest hour of the week.
Onsen access
Traditional Japanese hot-spring bathing at our Kinugawa base, woven into the rhythm of the week.
A hike led personally by Rex
Rex takes the group out on foot himself along the Dragon Gorge Trail — pace, stops, and story all handled in person.
A Tokyo city tour led personally by Rex
A walking tour of the Tokyo Rex actually knows — neighborhoods, small doors, and the version of the city you don't find on a map app.
Nikko temples & shrines
A group day among cedar forests, stone lanterns, and some of Japan's most quietly powerful sacred sites.
Edo Wonderland immersion
A full group day stepping into Edo-period Japan — costume, craft, suspension of the modern world, and a lot of laughing.
Dragon Gorge Trail
Forest, river views, and suspension bridges high above turquoise water — walked as a group, led by Rex.
Integration materials
Practices, prompts, and follow-up support so what shifted in Japan doesn't dissolve on the flight home.
International airfare, travel insurance, personal purchases, and any Tokyo lodging (both before and after the retreat, including for the optional Tokyo Day) are not included. Both departures include five nights at the planned Hotel Sunshine Kinugawa base and are limited to 8 guests. Final lodging availability and room-interest placement (Shared Room Experience, Private Room Upgrade, or Couple Suite) are confirmed with you personally before payment, based on availability and party size.
The Experience · Both Departures
Four landscapes, one week.
Exact daily order and timings are confirmed in your onboarding call. Nothing here is speculative — but nothing is over-promised either.
Days One & Two · Tokyo
Arrival & a City Tour with Rex
Land in Tokyo and exhale. A soft first evening — a walk, a shared meal. The next day, Rex personally leads a walking tour of the Tokyo he actually knows: neighborhoods, small doors, and quiet corners the map app never surfaces. Then the group heads together to our Kinugawa base for the heart of the week.
Sacred Forest · Nikko
Temples & Shrines as a Group
A group day among cedar giants and moss-covered stone at Nikko's shrine and temple grounds. Nikko isn't loud; it doesn't need to be. You'll feel it in your chest before you can name why.
Wild Water · Led by Rex
Ryūōkyō — Dragon Scale Trail Hike
A walking day through dense forest, river views, and thin suspension bridges strung high above turquoise water. Rex leads the hike personally — pace, stops, and story handled in person. Bring the shoes you actually trust.
Time Travel · Group Day
Edo Wonderland
A full group day inside an Edo-period Japanese village — lanterns, wooden storefronts, costumed craftspeople. This is the day you'll dress as a samurai. No, you won't regret it.
Photographed by Rex in Ryūōkyō, October 2019 — the trail he'll personally guide you through.
Why Trust Us
Small on purpose. Hosted, not managed.
Eight guests means the pace stays humane and the logistics stay personal. Rex treats this trip the way he treats his studio — with actual responsibility for how each person feels by the end of the week. You're not a booking number; you're one of eight names on a very short list.
Sushi at Hotel Sunshine during a previous stay.
Small by Design
Eight guests maximum for each 2027 departure.
Current availability is confirmed personally. No countdown timers — just a small group, room placement confirmed with Rex, and booking details shared before booking opens.
Your five retreat nights are in deluxe tatami accommodations at our Kinugawa base, with onsen access woven into the week. Share your room-interest below and Rex will confirm final placement personally, based on availability and party size — no guesswork, no surprises at check-in.
Hotel Sunshine Kinugawa — the planned base above the Kinugawa river.
Shared Room Experience
2–4 guests · deluxe tatami room
A shared deluxe tatami room with two to four fellow retreat guests — the warmest, most sociable way in and the price most guests choose.
Early bird$2,950
Regular rate$3,200
Private Room Upgrade
Solo · mountain view · private onsen
A solo room to yourself with a mountain view and your own private onsen. Quiet mornings, your own water, everything else about the retreat exactly the same.
Early bird$3,950
Regular rate$4,200
Couple Suite
Private onsen suite · available on request
A private onsen suite for two traveling together — partners, siblings, close friends. Shared arrival, shared water, one door. Available on request; exact price and occupancy are confirmed personally with Union Yoga.
PricingOn request
Same retreat across all three — you tell us how you'd like to sleep, Rex will match you personally. Shared and Private prices are per guest, USD. Couple Suite pricing and occupancy are confirmed personally with Union Yoga.
Investment · Same Pricing for Both Departures
So what does it cost?
Early-bird · Shared Room Experience
$2,950
Regular $3,200 · per guest · USD
Either departure · 5 nights · 2–4 guests per deluxe tatami room
Private Room Upgrade is priced above in Choose Your Stay. Couple Suite pricing is confirmed personally with Union Yoga. Every guest — including each guest requesting a Couple Suite — places their own $600 deposit when booking opens.
It's a meaningful investment, and it's meant to be. The eight-guest format is a deliberate choice — it costs more per person to travel this small, and it's exactly what makes the week feel the way it does.
Optional Add-on · After Each Core Retreat
Tokyo Day with Rex · $350 · per guest
April 19, 2027 after the spring retreat; October 26, 2027 after the autumn retreat. Each is a guided exploration of Tokyo with Rex, coordination included. Guests cover their own Tokyo hotel.
2027 Booking
The deposit amount is $600 per guest and applies toward the retreat total. Each departure's early-bird deadline, balance and refund cutoff, cancellation cutoff, current availability, and checkout link will be confirmed before booking opens.
Dates confirmed: April 14–18 and October 20–25, 2027 · Optional Tokyo Days April 19 and October 26 · Room placement confirmed personally by Rex/Union Yoga.
The Choice
What I'll share here, I can't share anywhere else.
There are really only two paths from here. You can keep the pace you're keeping — the calendar, the ambient hum, the low-grade tiredness that stopped feeling like anything unusual — and things will keep feeling roughly the way they feel now.
Or you make a piece of space, once, for an experience with the quiet weight to actually shift something in how you live inside your own body. Both are valid. Only one of them is why you're still reading.
Final Step
We're going to Japan. Are you coming?
The deposit will be $600 per guest and applied toward the retreat total. Booking is not yet open; ask about your preferred season and Rex will confirm availability, final room placement, deadlines, and the checkout link personally.
No 2027 checkout link or booking deadline has been published yet.
What Happens Next · Both Departures
A simple, personal path from inquiry to departure.
01
Ask about your preferred season
Email Rex about April or October. Current availability is confirmed personally.
02
Personal room confirmation
Rex and Union Yoga will reach out personally to confirm your room selection (Shared, Private, or Couple Suite) and your payment plan for the remaining balance.
03
Review the booking terms
Before booking opens, Union Yoga will confirm the early-bird, balance, refund and cancellation deadlines, plus the checkout link.
04
Onboarding & departure
A pre-retreat onboarding call covers logistics, packing, and your departure's optional Tokyo Day with Rex. Then we go.
When booking opens, each guest — including each person requesting a Couple Suite — will place their own $600 deposit. Final room placement, Couple Suite pricing, and planned Hotel Sunshine Kinugawa availability are confirmed personally before payment.
Ask About a Retreat
Ask about either 2027 departure.
April 14–18, 2027 is the same five-night Tokyo + Nikkō retreat, with five hotel nights beginning April 14 and checkout April 19. It has the same guest pricing, rooms, inclusions, and $600 deposit amount.
An optional Tokyo Day with Rex follows on April 19, 2027. It is $350 per guest with guided exploration and coordination included; guests cover their own Tokyo hotel for the extra night.
Booking deadlines, availability, and checkout links for both departures remain pending. Email Rex directly or use the selector here; this on-page form remains disabled.
There are two seasonal departures of the same five-night Tokyo + Nikkō retreat. Spring: April 14–18, 2027, with five hotel nights beginning April 14, checkout April 19, and an optional Tokyo Day that day. Autumn: October 20–25, 2027, with five hotel nights beginning October 20, checkout October 25, and an optional Tokyo Day on October 26.
How do the 2027 booking details work?
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April and October have the same room choices, guest pricing, inclusions, $600 deposit amount, and eight-guest limit. Each departure's early-bird deadline, balance and refund cutoff, cancellation cutoff, current availability, and checkout link will be confirmed before booking opens.
When does early-bird pricing end?
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The 2027 early-bird deadlines have not been published. Union Yoga will confirm each departure's deadline before booking opens.
How do I reserve my place?
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Booking is not yet open. Email Rex about April or October. When booking opens, the deposit will be $600 per guest and applied toward the retreat total. Every guest, including each guest requesting a Couple Suite, places their own deposit; final room placement and Couple Suite pricing are confirmed personally.
What are the deposit and cancellation terms?
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The deposit will be $600 per guest and applied toward the retreat total. Balance, refund, and cancellation dates for both 2027 departures will be confirmed before booking opens.
Who is this retreat for?
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Adults who want a genuine reset — not a boot camp, not a bachelorette itinerary. If you're drawn to yoga, culture, and quieter travel, you'll fit.
What does the yoga look like?
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Vinyasa most mornings — steady, breath-led, accessible on tired legs and satisfying on strong ones. One evening in the week is a Yin practice closed by a live sound bath.
What exactly is included?
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For both departures: five nights at the planned Hotel Sunshine Kinugawa base, retreat meals, coordinated Tokyo–Kinugawa ground transportation and scheduled group activities, onsen access, vinyasa most mornings, one Yin and sound bath evening, Rex-led hike and Tokyo city experience, Nikkō temples and shrines, Edo Wonderland, Ryūōkyō, onboarding, and integration materials. Final lodging availability and room placement are confirmed personally before payment. International airfare, travel insurance, personal purchases, and Tokyo lodging are not included.
Are international flights included?
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No. International airfare, travel insurance, and personal purchases are your responsibility. We help coordinate arrival once you're in Japan.
How do rooms work?
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Both departures offer the same options: Shared Room Experience (2–4 guests — early bird $2,950 / regular $3,200 per guest), Private Room Upgrade (early bird $3,950 / regular $4,200 per guest), and Couple Suite (available on request; exact price and occupancy confirmed personally). Each guest places their own $600 deposit; final room placement is confirmed based on availability and party size.
When is the optional Tokyo Day with Rex?
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Each optional Tokyo Day follows its core retreat: April 19, 2027 for the spring departure and October 26, 2027 for the autumn departure. Each is $350 per guest and includes guided exploration of Tokyo with Rex and coordination; guests cover their own Tokyo hotel for the extra night.
What about dietary or accessibility needs?
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Share them once you've placed your deposit; we'll gather them during onboarding and will be honest with you upfront about what's realistic for this specific itinerary.
How many guests?
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Each departure is limited to eight guests. Current availability for April and October is confirmed personally.
What happens after I inquire?
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Rex and Union Yoga will confirm current availability, room options, booking deadlines, and the checkout link personally. After booking opens, a pre-retreat onboarding call covers logistics, packing, and the optional Tokyo Day before departure.
