Zen Retreat NAMI is a one-group-per-day retreat in a century-old kominka beside Gyokuhouji Zen temple in Kuchino-tsu, Nagasaki. The proprietress herself serves as tea ceremony host and chef, crafting original Zen Vegetable Cuisine — distinct from traditional shojin ryori. For guests seeking genuine stillness rather than another curated experience, this is a day designed to strip away, not fill up. The international guest plan includes tea ceremony, zazen, and yoga.
Retreat Plans
NAMI – One Night of Stillness- Duration: 1 night / 2 days
- Available dates: Stays completed through December 31, 2026
- Rates: ¥65,000
・Welcome bowl of matcha prepared by the proprietress in the tea room
・Zen Vegetable Cuisine dinner, fermented brown rice breakfast (vegan/vegetarian on request)
・Private morning yoga on the veranda overlooking the Zen garden (optional)
・Zazen at Gyokuhouji, a two-minute walk away — a Zen temple overlooking the sea (optional)
・Opening celebration: complimentary transfer from Nagasaki Airport or Isahaya Station, and a complimentary Rakken-ho treatment — a gentle, traditional Japanese massage technique using foot pressure, similar to a foot massage
MUSUHI – Three Days of Deep Renewal- Duration: 3 days / 2 nights
- Available dates: Stays completed through December 31, 2026
- Rates: ¥130,000
・Day 1 evening: a short walk to Gyokuhouji temple for a zazen session, followed by dinner and rest
・Day 2: private morning yoga, fermented brown rice breakfast, afternoon tea ceremony (watch, then prepare a bowl yourself)
・Day 2 evening: “”An evening in the kitchen with Nami”” — cook dinner together using vegetables Nami has selected, then eat what you made
・Zazen, yoga, and tea ceremony are all optional, at your own pace
・Opening celebration (through Dec 31, 2026): complimentary transfer from Nagasaki Airport or Isahaya Station, and a complimentary Rakken-ho treatment — traditional Japanese foot-pressure bodywork for deep relaxation
DOKUZZA – Just Sit (For One Guest Only)- Duration: 1 night / 2 days
- Available dates: Stays completed through December 31, 2026
- Rates: ¥100,000
・The entire kominka — guest rooms, tea room, earthen-floor entryway, Zen garden — reserved for one guest alone
・Zen Vegetable Cuisine dinner, fermented brown rice breakfast (vegan/vegetarian on request)
・Matcha in the tea room
・Zazen at Gyokuhouji, a two-minute walk away — a Zen temple overlooking the sea (optional)
・Private morning yoga (optional)
・Opening celebration (stays completed through Dec 31, 2026): complimentary transfer from Nagasaki Airport or Isahaya Station, and a complimentary Rakken-ho treatment — a gentle, traditional Japanese massage technique using foot pressure, similar to a foot massage
About Us
Zen Retreat NAMI is grounded in Dogen’s Tenzo Kyokun — the practice of treating cooking itself as meditation. The proprietress coined the phrase Kanko Ichido (還己一道) as her philosophical anchor: a one-group-per-day experience designed to let guests step away from daily roles and titles, and return to who they truly are. The cuisine is never called shojin ryori; it is called Zen Vegetable Cuisine — shaped by over a decade spent working closely with vegetables, a season as a vegetarian cook at a retreat center in California, and training as a proprietress at a historic ryokan tucked in the mountains outside Kyoto. Each chapter carries through into every dish served today. Here, the discipline of tea ceremony, Zen stillness, and seasonal vegetables converge into a single place — one that values not scale, but the singular, unrepeatable encounter made possible by hosting only one group, one day at a time.
Environment
Namiko Settsu, proprietress. She began as a wholesale produce buyer at Tsukiji, then spent over a decade in Sapporo sharpening her eye for vegetables. She later cooked vegetarian and vegan cuisine at a retreat center in California, and trained for roughly three years as a nakai under the proprietress at a renowned ryokan in Kyoto’s mountain retreat district. A practitioner of tea ceremony, she draws on Zen philosophy as a way of living.
体験レビュー
What a wonderful place Zen Retreat NAMI is! The traditional architecture brings a deep sense of quiet, and scattered thoughts simply fade away. NAMI-san’s cuisine has an extraordinary depth of taste, layered in the most thoughtful way. Highly recommend visiting.
M.S – Female 🇩🇪
The most relaxing and well-organized stay I’ve had in Japan. The beauty of the traditional house, the yoga classes, the tea ceremony, and the food Nami prepares for you — it’s amazing! I’ll recommend it to any traveler looking for relaxation, quality, and a true life experience through traditional Japanese lifestyle.
C.A – Male 🇨🇱
| Address | 1645 Kuchinotsucho Ko, Minamishimabara-shi, Nagasaki-ken 859-2502 Japan |
| HP | https://zenretreat-nami.com/en/ |
| info@zenretreat-nami.com | |
| Phone | 050-1809-1388 |
| Booking | Advanced Booking Required |
