The invisible thread

A journey through tea, Craft and practice into the unseen Japan

Nara | Koyasan | Kyoto

September 22nd–29th, 2026

Join us on this intimate gathering

Rooted in tea, craft and practice, the journey begins at Toma House, an 18th-century former residence of a Shinto priest family, now an established cultural home dedicated to the preservation of ancient Japanese crafts, and artist residencies.

From there, we move through Kintsugi and gold repair, tea schools and samurai lineages, temples, sacred mountains, cedar forests, fire ceremonies, Kyoto ateliers, incense, textiles, and honest encounters with the natural world.

Each morning begins with tea, meditation and a series of carefully selected sound works and practices from the Altara Library.

Imagined for a small group of 6 participants, this is a deeply held experience for those drawn to beauty, ancestral craft, practice and deep transformation.

A note from CAt

“In 2025, I spent time in Nara as an artist-in-residence at Toma House, studying kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics with gold. My first craft exploration soon became something much deeper: a meditation on repair and the way an object can hold and generate inner transformation.

This journey is the spark that followed my experience, uniting all the threads, teachers, spaces and contemplations that have touched me.

The practices selected for this container invite us to slow down, connect, be inspired and ultimately receive the gift of direct experience with nature and the world around us. My hope is that somewhere along this invisible thread, you find the gold line that is yours.”

NARA, TOMA HOUSE AND THE DEER

We will begin in Nara, rooted at Toma House, the place where Cat’s residency opened this journey.

The house carries its history of ceremonies in a very tangible way. You feel the age of the wood, the presence of the elementals in the garden, the proximity of the forest, the occasional visits from deer and the many lives and practices that have passed through it.

To begin here feels deeply meaningful: entering Japan through a home that carries such spiritual lineage and preserves ancient crafts. Learn more about Toma House from the short documentary Toma Unrestored, featured on nowness, by Tokyo-based filmmaker Sybilla Patrizia.

Here, guests will be introduced to traditional Kintsugi. This one-day introduction is designed as a portal, a first encounter that can later be deepened through a full residency for those who feel called to apply and continue studying.

Tea will be our thread on this journey: the way we arrive, open, integrate, and close. Around this thread, we will move through practice, meeting the deer on the land, visiting the tea temple, sacred mountains, their mythology and all the magic Japan has to offer.

The Journey

Day 1 | Arrival in Nara

Evening tea to ground | Sunset with a view and the deer

We arrive in Nara. After settling in, we gather for an evening tea practice to land in the body and open our time together. As the sun lowers, we spend time with the deer of Nara, gentle messengers and the first guardians of the journey.

Day 2 | The Gold Line

Morning tea ceremony | Meditation & Nature Connection

Kintsugi Introduction | Samurai Tea Temple visit & Tasting

The day begins with morning tea and immersive sound works by Cat La Fey & Altara Library

We then enter the symbolic world of Kintsugi through an introductory practice facilitated by Clementine Nuttall, restoration teacher at Tokyo University.

In the afternoon, we visit the Samurai tea temple connected to the spirit of discipline and peace found through tea and contemplative practice.

This day opens the theme of repair: the broken piece, the gold line, the transformed vessel.

Day 3 | Deer, Tea & WONDER MAP

Tea ceremony | Deer Connection | Wonder Field Notes Trail

We begin again with tea and meditation.

The morning invites a deeper connection with Nara’s deer in a dedicated moment of observation and practice, allowing their presence to soften our pace, sharpen our attention, and gently accompany our own process.

Later, you’ll wander with the Field Notes, following a trail of soulful places and unexpected encounters. Each invitation is less about finding a destination and more about discovering what finds you along the way.

The afternoon remains spacious, allowing time to wander, rest, shop or follow whatever draws your attention.

As evening falls, we gather beside the waters of Sarusawa Pond. Over tea or dinner (optional), we share the discoveries, messages, and memorable moments each of us encountered along the way.

KoYASAN

Temple stay | Fire Ceremony | Night walk in the Koyasan Temple | Dinner & Onsen

Day 4 — Koyasan

Silence, Fire & the Sacred Mountain

We leave Nara and travel by private transfer to Koyasan, the secluded mountain sanctuary of Shingon Esoteric Buddhism. Hidden among ancient cedar forests, Koyasan has been a place of pilgrimage and monastic practice for more than 1,200 years.

Our home is Eko-in Temple, where we experience the rhythm of temple life through shōjin ryōri cuisine, morning prayers, and the Goma Fire Ceremony, a powerful ritual in which cedar prayer sticks are offered into the sacred flames as a symbol of purification and transformation.

As night falls, we walk through Okunoin, Japan’s most sacred in between land, to the mausoleum of Kōbō Daishi. He entered eternal meditation in the year 835 and remained in the ‘in between’ continuing to guide practitioners to this day. Monks bring him daily food and energetic offerings. He is said to grant wishes.

Before leaving the mountain, we make a final silent pilgrimage to the shrine of Benzaiten, the goddess of music, wisdom, flowing water, and arts. We pause here for tea and reflection, honoring our roots, while creating space for new inspiration to emerge.

KYOTO

Day 5 | Kyoto: ENTERING THE OLD CITY

Arrival in Kyoto | Hōkan-ji Temple | Rooftop sunset & dinner

Kyoto brings a new energy and a more social and vibrant rhythm to the journey. We enter the elevated world of ateliers, textiles, incense, tea, and craft traditions. This day is about grounding in the city and finding beauty, details, materials, and inspiration.

We stay at NOHGA Hotel, chosen for its contemporary design, cultural sensitivity and connection to local craft. Once we rest and fully arrive, we adventure to explore Hōkan-ji Temple, close by in the historic district and the onarrow surrounding old streets, sloped and lined with wooden machiya houses, pottery shops, tea rooms and small cafés.

We close the day on NOHGA’s rooftop, watching the sun set over Kyoto.

Day 6 | Nature Connection | Twin Dragons | TRADITIONAL TEA HOUSE EXPERIENCE & DINNER

Maruyama Gardens | Gion walk | Kennin-ji | The Way Of Incense

After breakfast at NOHGA, we visit Maruyama Gardens for a gentle morning walk among old trees, ponds and quiet paths at the edge of the Higashiyama hills.

From there, we continue to Kyoto’s oldest Zen temple where the twin dragons are honored, as symbols of protection, awakened power and creative force.

That evening, we are welcomed into The Way of Incense. In a traditional Kyoto machiya, we enter the world of Japanese scent. Guided by the spirit of kōdō, the ancient way of incense, we work with natural woods, botanicals and aromatic oils, learning how each material carries its own character. From these elements, we create a personal incense blend: an invisible composition shaped through intuition. Later we will anchor our new scent into a new feeling in a practice of listening from the Altara Library.

As evening settles, we gather for dinner. Held in a warm, candlelit setting, the night is designed for conversation, reflection and celebration. We return to the moments that shaped the journey, and allow the experience to settle in the company of the group.

Day 7 | Gates of Passage & Returning to Earth

Sunrise at Fushimi Inari | Earth wall ceremony

Before the city wakes, we walk through Fushimi Inari. The gates form a passage between worlds: threshold after threshold, inviting us to leave behind what no longer belongs and walk consciously toward what is already emerging.

Later, we gather at Maana Atelier for our final ceremony. Set inside a restored kimono weaver’s home in Kyoto’s old textile district, the atelier is a contemporary sanctuary for Japan’s living crafts. Through the craft of tsuchikabe, we will be guided to work with clay, rice straw, sand and seaweed to create an earth panel by hand. A grounding ritual to bring our journey and transformation out of the invisible and into matter. We gather what has shifted within us, offer it back to the earth, and give it a tangible form. Each of us leaves with a piece shaped by our own hands and a fragment of Japan to carry home.

Day 8 | Closing & Departure

Altara practice | Final breakfast | Departures

After breakfast, we close the circle and depart, with the option to continue together to Tokyo.

WHAT IS INCLUDED?

Daily Altara meditation practices and tea ceremony sits facilitated by Cat La Fey

Altara guidance, preparation and facilitation throughout the retreat

All scheduled group transportation in Nara, Koyasan and Kyoto

Private transfers between Nara, Koyasan and Kyoto

Luggage forwarding directly from Nara to Kyoto, allowing participants to travel lightly to Koyasan

Entrance fees for all temples, sacred sites and scheduled experiences included in the itinerary

An optional group transfer to Tokyo at approximately 2:00 p.m. on September 29 for participants continuing their journey

Nara | Three Nights

Shared accommodation, with two participants per room in separate beds | Introductory Kintsugi workshop with Clementine Nuttall | Samurai tea temple ceremony and culinary experience | Curated Wonder Field Notes journey through Nara | Deer connection practices and all scheduled Altara experiences

Breakfast and all other meals in Nara are paid for individually unless specifically identified as included.

*The suggested dinner beside Sarusawa Pond is a group reservation and is paid for individually.

Koyasan | One Night

Traditional temple stay at Ekō-in, sleeping on Japanese futons over tatami in a shared temple setting

All scheduled Koyasan rituals and experiences

The temple stay is communal and immersive, while remaining beautiful, refined and unusually comfortable for a traditional Buddhist lodging.

Kyoto | Three Nights

Individual private rooms at NOHGA Hotel | Daily breakfast at the hotel | The Incense Way Atelier Blending Session | Tsuchikabe earthen-wall workshop @Maana Atelier | Entrance to Kennin-ji, Fushimi Inari and all other scheduled temples and sites |

All scheduled Altara practices and Kyoto experiences

*The suggested dinners rooftop at NOHGA & Candlelit dinner are group reservations and are paid for individually.

The accommodation changes intentionally throughout the journey: shared rooms in Nara, a communal temple stay in Koyasan, and private rooms in Kyoto for rest and integration.

What Is Not Included

International or domestic flights | Travel insurance | Visa Fees | Airport transfers before the official retreat begins | Breakfast and meals in Nara, except for the lunch included with the Samurai tea experience | Meals in Kyoto other than daily breakfast and the private tea-house dinner | Dinners | Additional food or drinks ordered outside the hosted experiences | Optional treatments or activities outside the official itinerary | Private transportation requested outside the scheduled group program

The retreat officially closes at approximately 10:00 a.m. on September 29, followed by free time before the optional group transfer to Tokyo at approximately 2:00 p.m.

Journey Investment

€4,900 eur

8 days / 7 nights
Created for 6 participants

The investment includes all accommodation, scheduled group transportation, luggage forwarding from Nara to Kyoto, temple admissions, workshops, hosted cultural experiences, selected meals, and daily Altara tea and meditation practices facilitated by Cat La Fey, founder of Altara Studio.

The accommodation journey includes shared twin rooms in Nara, an immersive communal temple stay at Ekō-in in Koyasan, and individual private rooms at NOHGA Hotel in Kyoto.

Payment Plan

€1,100 eur deposit to reserve your place

€1,900 eur second payment by 30th of Aug

€1,900 eur final payment by 15th of Sept

The deposit is non-refundable and confirms your participation.

Admission by Resonance

This journey is intentionally limited to six participants and offered through an interview-based admission process.The call is designed as a space to meet, to ask questions, to feel for resonance, readiness and group coherence.

The quality of the journey depends on the field we create together: openness, presence, respect, curiosity and a willingness to participate fully in both the visible and invisible dimensions of the experience.

Each person joining the journey will receive a complimentary one to one online Altara reading before departure. Through the divination system and oracle, we will listen for the theme and question opening for you personally, offering an energetic point of orientation for the path ahead.

We look forward to meeting those who feel called by The Invisible Thread.

In gratitude,

Cat la Fey & Altara Studio