4th Water Retreat
7/12 Sat -13 Sun
This water retreat will consist of time spent in dialogue (circle sitting), interacting with water and immersing yourself in a life with nature.
Our guide for this water retreat will be Otoi-san.
My assistants are J (Jay) and Nobu.
Meeting place: Tani House Itaya, a traditional Japanese inn (615 Koideki, Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture *Look for the blue roof)
Meeting date and time 2025 7/12 (Sat) 14:00
End date and time: 17:00, Sunday, July 13, 2025
Participation fee: 18,000 yen (including one night stay and three meals) per person
What to bring/Important notes
Swimsuit, clothes that can get wet (you may swim in the river on sunny days), change of clothes,
Comfortable shoes, towel, warm clothes ( in case of cold weather at night)
I think we will change it and have tea time indoors.
ACCESS For those using public transport
Tokyo → Echigo Yuzawa (Joetsu Shinkansen)
Echigo Yuzawa Station → Get off at Kiyotsukyo Entrance (Minami Echigo Sightseeing Bus bound for Morimiyanohara)
7 minutes walk from the entrance to Kiyotsukyo Gorge (See Google Maps *Look for the blue roof )
*Buses departing from Echigo Yuzawa Station to the entrance of Kiyotsukyo Gorge depart at 10:25 and 13:05.
On the way back, there is a bus departing from the entrance of Kiyotsukyo Gorge to Echigo Yuzawa Station at 17:57.
Please note that bus services are very limited.
Schedule
[Schedule (planned)]
July 12th (Sat) Day 1
14:00 Meet at Tani House Itaya, a traditional Japanese inn
Beginning time (gentle voices from participants, including staff)
Village Walk
Dialogue time (circle sitting)
17:30 Head to the hot spring (Tani House Itaya bath or a nearby hot spring facility)
Dinner preparation (cooked with local ingredients)
dinner
Conversation around the fire
21:30 Free time/bedtime
July 13th (Sun) Day 2
8:00 Breakfast (together)
Enza
11:00 Lunch preparation and free time (home-cooked meals prepared by locals are also planned)
12:00 Lunch
Playing in the river (may be changed to tea time depending on the weather)
Dialogue time (circle sitting)
17:00 Disband
Contact Us
Postal code 949-8433
615 Koideki, Tokamachi City, Niigata Prefecture
Tani House Itaya
For inquiries regarding the Water Retreat, which is available by request, please contact the Tokamachi City Tourism Association. For more information, please click here.
一般社団法人 十日町市観光協会
025-757-3345
Encounter with Water Retreat
July's Guide Otoi
What first attracted me to this place was the "wow" feeling I had when I first entered Tani House, and thinking back on it now, it was the feeling of my body and mind opening up. I think that's what struck me as wonderful. There were undoubtedly traces of human presence there. What I heard later that night about the events that took place during the transformation of this building, and the interactions between people and the building, was also fascinating to me.
From there, a relationship and exchange begins between Nobu, who is on a water retreat, and J, who for some reason always talks to him.
As for the two of them, over the few times they spend time together, they tell each other what they think, both when they're sober and when they're drinking, and it's really entertaining. They say they fight and don't understand each other, but they're genuinely facing each other and being friends, which is why I think it's so interesting for the viewers and those involved.
Tani House is located there, and the place where the two work is the Koide village in Kiyotsu Gorge. Water circulates through the village's ingenuity, with small and large streams, and the sound of water is always present. The village is located in a valley, which over the course of millions of years became the valley it is today, and people have been living there for thousands of years. For about half the year, the valley is covered in snow, sometimes up to four meters deep, and you could say that summer is in between. In spring, people can be seen rushing to prepare the fields, and July, the middle of the snow-free season, is a month where the scenery and activity appear as an intersection of water and summer.
In the spring, I encountered butterbur sprouts and a mother who told me about the taste of homemade konjac and how it is made. I wonder what kind of people I will meet in the village this summer.
Calling out to my grandfather
July's assistant guide, Nobu
When I first met Otoi-san, I felt that he had a mysterious aura. Not only is his career (or is it his history?) interesting, but the things he is currently involved in are also fascinating, and yet, all of his activities seem to be connected by a single thread, which is what made him so appealing.
And more than anything, I think some people find the atmosphere he exudes soothing. He is laid back, calm, and sometimes uses difficult words as he carefully tries to sort out his feelings and thoughts, and for some reason, people there want to listen.
Otoi says that up until now he has been "opening up spaces."
Otoi-san has always tried to confront the world in his own unique way, so I really wanted him to "open a space" for the Water Retreat as well.
More than anyone, I wanted to participate.