In Yodo’s Words

Many of the questions guests ask us are really about what kind of place this is. Here, Yodo answers them himself. For practical information about prices, check-in, and transportation, please see our main Questions page.

Before You Come

How is Beppu Zen Retreat different from a hotel?

Very different.

Beppu Zen Retreat is not a hotel or an ordinary place to stay. It is a homestay-style Zen retreat where you share daily life with me and my family.

When you stay here, you become part of our everyday life. We sit zazen together, eat together, and sometimes cook together. After meals, we clear the table and wash the dishes. We also clean together.

This is not a relationship where staff provide services and guests simply receive them. You are not coming here to observe Japanese family life or temple life from the outside. You enter that life and live it with us.

That is what our homestay is about.

If you are looking for hotel-style service, our retreat is probably not the right place for you.

Is the training strict?

This is not a strict monastery or military-style training.

But it is also not a place where everyone simply sleeps, eats, and does whatever they want whenever they want.

Of course, if you are tired, you can rest. Just let me know. If you want to leave early in the morning for sightseeing, for example to visit Yufuin, that is also fine. Just tell me beforehand.

Be on time.
Clean up after yourself.
Know when to be quiet.
Be considerate of other people.

These simple things are important here.

Zen is not something special or mysterious. It is about living everyday life with care.

Who might not enjoy staying here?

People who are strongly attached to doing everything in their own way may find it difficult to stay here.

In Zen, it is important not to become too attached to our own ideas and ego. If you can come with an open mind, you will be fine.

Is it okay to come alone?

Of course. Around 95% of our guests come alone.

Even if you arrive alone, you will naturally meet other people through zazen, meals, cooking, cleaning, and everyday life.

Coming as two people is also fine. But if you come together, I would like both of you to genuinely want to take part in the retreat.

Sometimes one person is interested in Zen and Japanese culture, while the other has simply come along with their partner. This can affect not only the two people themselves, but also the atmosphere of the guesthouse and the other guests.

We have rarely had problems with friends or married couples. Couples sometimes need to think about this a little more carefully.

Before booking, please ask each other: “Do we both really want to stay here?”

If the answer is yes, you are both very welcome.

Should I study Zen before I come?

No. It is not necessary.

There is nothing wrong with reading books or watching videos about Zen. But please do not come here having already decided, “This is what Zen is.”

Knowledge and experience are different. Sometimes people who have studied a great deal become so attached to what they have learned that they do not notice their own misunderstandings. There are also books about Zen written by people with very little actual experience of Zen training, and some of these books become highly regarded.

The problem is not reading books. The problem is believing that what is written in a book must be the truth about Zen.

Zen cannot be understood through knowledge alone.

Sit.
Clean.
Eat together.
Look carefully at what is happening around you.

Rather than collecting more knowledge before you arrive, put your knowledge aside for a while and experience it directly.

About Zen & Zazen

I have no experience with Zen or meditation. Is that okay?

Of course.

Sometimes it is actually easier to learn when you come without too many ideas about what Zen should be. In Zen, we value beginner’s mind. An open attitude, “I will try it,” is more important than a lot of knowledge.

I have been meditating for many years.

I began my Zen training in 2008, and I still consider myself a beginner.

My wife has practised calligraphy for more than 40 years, and my mother has practised tea ceremony for more than 50 years. This is the kind of timescale we often have in traditional Japanese culture.

Whether you have practised meditation for one year or ten years, try approaching it again with the mind of a beginner.

Can I use the meditation method I already practise?

Here we practise traditional Zen-style zazen.

Many guests have experience with yoga, Vipassana, Theravada retreats, or other meditation traditions. That experience is welcome.

But while you are here, I ask you to put your usual method aside for a while and experience the Zen way of sitting. I think that is part of the reason for coming to a Zen retreat in Japan.

I cannot sit cross-legged. What should I do?

I encourage guests to try the traditional Zen postures, such as full lotus or half lotus.

If you are not used to sitting this way, your legs may hurt or become numb. This is normal.

I think there is some value in experiencing this. In modern life, when something becomes uncomfortable, we often try to avoid it immediately. Sometimes, experiencing a little discomfort and learning to stay with it is important. That can also be part of zazen.

However, pain caused by an injury is different. If you have an injury or a physical condition, do not force your body. You can use a chair, cushions, or another way of sitting.

The purpose is not to damage your body.

Do I have to join zazen every morning?

Morning zazen is the most important part of our retreat, so basically, yes.

If you are sick or extremely tired, you do not need to force yourself. Just tell me. This is not the army. (laughs)

But if you plan to skip most morning zazen and mainly use the retreat as a place to sleep while sightseeing, an ordinary hotel or guesthouse may be a better choice.

Living Together

What is important when staying here?

In Zen, words are not the only important thing.

Posture.
Attitude.
Breathing.
Silence.
And the ability to notice what is happening around you.

You do not need any special skills to help with cooking or cleaning. What matters is looking around and joining in naturally.

If someone is carrying food, help carry it.
When the meal is finished, help clean up.
If something is dirty, clean it.
If someone needs help, help them.

I believe these small actions in everyday life are also part of Zen.

I don’t know Japanese manners. I’m worried I might be rude.

Don’t worry.

It is completely natural that someone from another country will not know every Japanese custom. You do not need to do everything correctly from the beginning. You can learn little by little while you are here.

You have come to Japan, so enjoy the differences from your own country and try doing things the Japanese way for a while.

In Zen, we value a mind that is flexible, like water and clouds. Water changes its shape according to the container. Clouds never remain in one fixed form.

In the same way, try not to hold too tightly to your own way of doing things. Look at the time, the place, and the people around you, and respond naturally.

Living inside an unfamiliar culture can itself become part of your Zen experience.

Will I have free time? Can I go sightseeing?

Yes, of course.

This is not a retreat where programmes continue from morning until night. We have morning zazen, meals, samu, and sometimes cultural activities, but free time is also important.

Go to an onsen.
Read a book.
Take a walk.
Have a nap.

Many guests also visit Beppu’s hot springs, Yufuin, and the surrounding area. I hope you will enjoy sightseeing while also experiencing Japanese daily life and the atmosphere of Zen.

Food & Drink

Do you serve shojin ryori (traditional Buddhist vegetarian food)?

No.

On weekdays, we normally eat the same kind of home-cooked food that my family eats every day. One thing that sometimes surprises overseas guests is that Japanese Zen monks may eat meat and fish as well as vegetables.

For me, one of the important things about food is gratitude. Vegetables, fish, and meat are all life. We live because we receive that life. That is why I believe it is important not to waste food and to be grateful for what we receive.

When I trained in a Zen monastery, local people often donated food to us. We learned to use what we were given carefully, waste as little as possible, and eat what we received.

In Japanese we say Itadakimasu: “I humbly receive.” It expresses gratitude for the food, the life we receive, and the people who prepared it.

(For vegetarian, vegan, and other dietary needs, please see our [Questions] page.)

Can I drink alcohol?

Yes. Alcohol is not prohibited here. I also drink sometimes.

My thinking is similar to what I explained about food. When something is offered to me through a connection with another person, I try to receive it with gratitude. If someone serves me meat or fish, I eat it. If someone offers me alcohol, I drink it.

So I do not believe alcohol itself is the problem. The problem is when alcohol begins to control you.

Occasionally we have had guests who drink from morning until night. I do not think that is appropriate for a Zen retreat.

If you would like to drink, please enjoy it in moderation during your free time after lunch, with dinner, or after dinner. Please do not drink so much that it affects the next morning’s zazen or the people around you.

Being aware of yourself, the time, the place, and the people around you is also part of practising Zen in everyday life.

Language & Learning

I don’t speak Japanese. Is that okay?

Of course. My English is not perfect either.

Guests come from all over the world, and many of them are not native English speakers. Even when you do not understand every word, you can still notice and feel many things.

In Zen we have an important expression: Furyū monji (不立文字). It means that Zen does not depend only on words and letters.

Sit together.
Eat together.
Cook and clean together.
Watch how people move.
Feel the atmosphere around you.

There are many things we can understand without words.

I learned Japanese from anime.

That’s great.

But please remember that Japanese in anime can be very casual, including expressions used by teenagers or particular characters. If you use the same expressions with Japanese adults, they may sometimes sound rude or unusual.

But don’t worry too much. I probably watch more anime and read more manga than the average Japanese person. (laughs)

Will I have time to ask Yodo questions?

Yes. I value the time we have to talk, often after breakfast or during dinner.

You are welcome to ask me about Zen, Buddhism, Japanese culture, life in Japan, or anything else. I will answer as much as I can.

However, I am also a working temple priest, so sometimes I have temple duties and cannot stay to talk.

Can I experience tea ceremony and calligraphy?

Sometimes, yes. We try to make time for these about once a week when possible.

My mother teaches tea ceremony, and my wife teaches calligraphy. They both have their own work and daily lives, so we cannot guarantee these activities will always be available.

If Japanese culture like this is important to you, I recommend staying 10 days or longer.

Your Stay

How long do you recommend staying? Can I understand Zen in five days?

We have welcomed more than 500 guests. Many people first book the minimum stay of five nights. But after staying with us, many tell me: “Five nights really is the minimum.”

So I recommend 10 days or longer if you have the time. With 14 days or more, you begin to settle more deeply into the rhythm of daily life, and many things become easier to understand naturally.

Can you understand Zen in five days? Probably not. (laughs) I began my training in 2008, and I am still learning.

You do not need to understand Zen in five days. If you experience even one thing here and take it home with you, that is enough.

Perhaps several years later you will suddenly think: “Ah, now I understand what Yodo was talking about.”

For me, that is enough.

What if I arrive and feel the retreat is different from what I expected?

It does not happen often, but perhaps once or twice a year, someone feels this way.

Even after reading the website and looking at the photos, the reality of living here may be different from what you imagined. Someone may have expected hotel-style service, to be guided step by step, or special meals like in a restaurant.

This does not mean anyone is right or wrong. Some things can only be understood after living here for a while. Things that do not make sense on your first day may begin to make sense after several days.

But you may also simply feel: “This place is not right for me.”

That is okay too. You do not need to force yourself to stay, and you do not need to explain your real reason in detail. You can simply say that something has come up, or that you need to leave earlier than planned. A little consideration for each other helps us finish on good terms.

However, please do not leave without telling us. If someone suddenly disappears, we worry that they have had an accident or become ill.

So if you decide to leave early, whatever the reason, please simply let me know.