The Thunder Before the Swallows Return

Our tagline is 'transformative experiences on the Japanese mountains'. Only, to call it a transformation is, well, misleading. 'Transformation' implies a change into something new. What we are providing isn't something new. It's an opportunity to return to your roots. It’s an opportunity for you to discover a side of yourself you have long forgotten. A grounded, older version of yourself, a self that was there all along. We are just helping you dig it back up. The thing is, 'we promise you you, but an older version of you' doesn't quite have the same ring to it. So we use the word 'transformation'.

So, when was the last time a Tuesday was transformative for you?

Right now, Japan's ancient calendar marks two microseasons back to back:

雷乃発声 — Kaminari Sunawachi Koe o Hassu:
"Distant thunder rumbles, a sound of spring."

March 31 to April 4.

玄鳥至 — Tsubame Kitaru:
"Swallows return from the south."

April 5 to 9.

It's no coincidence. Japanese society seems wired on the concept of constant renewal. The whole Shinto business model is built on it. By going about our daily lives we gather kegare, defilement, the "dust" of living, then rely on purification rites at Shinto shrines to cleanse it, so we can go on going about our daily lives. If you've ever spent time in Japan during April, you would have seen this same impulse playing out at a social scale. Not only in the perennial symbol of impermanence, the cherry blossoms, but in the major customs that happen at this time of year: the new school year, a new intake of fresh graduates, new contracts starting, and all the hustle and bustle that comes with it.

It's as if the seasons dictated that everyone collectively stop in the middle of what they are doing, take a breath, and start over. The countrywide turning of a page. In Japan, the reset is just what happens. It needs no reason. You can either go with the flow, or get caught up in it.

The mountains are where you choose your own.

And the people who have gone through that 'transformation' have this to say:

"Three months after my trip, a much more grounded, centered person. My fear of the unknown has completely vanished and my heart has expanded."

— K.K. 

"If I had to describe the shugyo in one word, it would be connection." 

— J.H.

"The power of Uketamo — before, I cared so much more intensely about seemingly trivial matters. Now, I get to move on with a smile feeling unattached and unburdened." 

— T.B. 

So as you listen to the distant thunder, as the swallows come home to roost, what are you going to do with your Tuesday?